To write a seaworthy script for Aquaman 2 that could lure James Wan into the directorial gig, Warner Bros. has rehired one of the writers from the original movie.
Last month, we came across the news that Aquaman 2 was in the works, with Warner Bros. making an effort to convince Wan to return at the director's chair. The filmmaker, according to the reports, would decide whether to sign the dotted line or not after looking through a finalized script. With Aquaman having sailed past The Dark Knight Rises' $1.09 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing DC Comics adaptation till date, the studio badly wants the original director back at the helm; so, it gave him the authority to oversee the sequel's development.
And it seems like Wan has requested the services of his frequent collaborator David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Deadline and multiple other Hollywood trades are reporting that Johnson-McGoldrick has been tapped to pen the script of Aquaman 2. He co-wrote the original movie with Will Beall, and also worked with Wan on The Conjuring 2. His screenwriting credits also include Orphan, Red Riding Hood, and Wrath of the Titans.
Aquaman 2 is concurrently in the works with a spinoff titled The Trench! (Photo Credit – Warner Bros.)
Apart from the direct sequel, a spinoff of Aquaman is also in development. The project, according to The Hollywood Reporter, will revolve around the Trench, the deadly sea monsters that attacked Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry and Amber Heard's Mera in a scene in the December 21, 2018 release. With newbie screenwriters Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald in charge, the script is expected to be horror-tinged and to refrain from using the original movie's main characters.
Warner Bros. reportedly intends to budget The Trench much more modestly than its conventional DC superhero tentpoles. James Wan is producing the spinoff alongside Peter Safran, but is unlikely to direct.
