It seems that all eyes in Hollywood have been focused on Warner Bros. Discovery as of late, and for good reason.
In the months since the acquisition closed, CEO David Zaslav has been overhauling the studio’s business by implementing strategy shifts, slashing budgets, overseeing layoffs and shelving content like the highly-publicized Batgirl. In an Aug. 4 earnings call, Zaslav also inspired loads of attention for telegraphing a 10-year-plan for DC amid a “reset.”
What that means for individual DC franchises remains unclear, but the star of one — Aquaman leading man Jason Momoa — happened to be walking the carpet Tuesday night to promote season three of his Apple TV+ series See, so THR asked him for his take on Zaslav’s plan.
“That’s an interesting question,” Momoa said, pausing to collect his thoughts. “I just trust in them to make the right decisions, and I gotta stay in my lane.”
That lane involves shouldering the franchise as Arthur Curry, the King of Atlantis, in the 2018 Aquaman installment and in DC franchise efforts Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. He’s got another one coming down the pike with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on March 17, 2023. While there are rumors that the release date could change once again, Momoa is clearly high on what fans will eventually see when it does hit screens.
“We killed it,” he said. “We made something amazing and it’ll come out when it’s meant to come out. The nice thing about what’s happened with COVID is that everyone is trying to rush to meet these deadlines but we know it should come out when it’s ready to come out [at a time] when everybody is getting back in the movie theaters. So, thank you Tom Cruise.”
Momoa isn’t the only Hollywood insider grateful to Cruise and what he and Paramount accomplished with Top Gun: Maverick, a film that helped lure moviegoers back to cinemas (along with a string of Marvel titles). It has earned $1.4 billion at the global box-office. Momoa’s original Aquaman wasn’t far behind with $1.1 billion. Needless to say, hopes are high for The Lost Kingdom.
“We wrote a great story,” Momoa continued. “I was one of the writers on it and the minute we finished [Aquaman] I went in with a 50-page outline for the second one and they used it and they liked it. It’s got my heart in it. I feel very connected to the character and have played him across, what, four movies now?” And he says he will keep suiting up for the deep water as long as moviegoers dive in after him. “As long as we can. If people don’t like it and it feels like it’s past its due date, then we won’t make another one,” he said. “But if they love it, then we will make more, you know. I don’t want to force anything down someone’s throat to watch it. But I love it.”
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