James Wan on AQUAMAN and future of DC Films

All eyes are on James Wan right now as Aquaman tears up the international box office. The film has racked up an impressive $261.3M worldwide despite not arriving in North America until later this week.

Wan recently sat down with NY Times to discuss taking on the DC Films project and his future with the company. When asked about the future of DC on film the director said:

“I don’t know what the bigger picture is, but I think it’s really cool to take chances with the lesser-known characters and story lines. It’s good if all the other films have their own flavor, so they don’t force them to feel the same.”

James Wan

Asked if he would take on larger role in overseeing DC Films, a job many fans feel the company needs, Wan responded, “It’s taken me so long just to finish this movie. [Laughs] I don’t want to think about somebody else’s movie at this point. I just want to survive this one.”

Later in the interview Wan admitted he was aware of negative press surrounding other entries in the DC Films universe. Ever the consummate professional he did not let criticisms affect his approach to Aquaman.

“I was definitely aware of that. The irony is, I picked “Aquaman” because I thought, here’s a superhero I can make that is fully under the radar. No one’s going to [care] about this film. I can just do whatever I want. Make it easy with no pressure. Fast-forward to three years later and now there’s a massive spotlight on it. So, to answer your question, obviously there was a sense of pressure. But I try not to let any of that cloud my vision for the film. I just plow ahead and continue to make the movie I wanted to make.”

James Wan

Many have criticised Warner Bros. and DC executives for “meddling” in previous movies. Wan confirmed that was not the case here . “For as big a movie as “Aquaman” is, I could not have had more freedom. I had all the big tools and the budget to paint on a really big canvas, but with the freedom I had on, let’s say, ‘Saw’ or ‘Insidious.'” he said. “So if the movie works, or doesn’t work, I have no one to blame but myself.”

You can read our Aquaman review here.

From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an acition-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be… a king.

Aquaman stars Jason Momoa in the title role of Arthur Curry/Aquaman. The film also stars Amber Heard as Mera; Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe as Vulko; Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry; Dolph Lundgren as Nereus; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II  as Black Manta; with Patrick Wilson as Orm/Ocean Master; and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman as Atlanna.

The film is being produced by Peter Safran, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Rob Cowan, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.

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