Aquaman 2 could be Jason Momoa’s ‘last stand’, DC boss says

DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran has revealed that Jason Momoa’s role in the upcoming Aquaman sequel could be his final appearance as the superhero, saying: “We’ll see what happens, but I really hope people will come and support his potentially last stand as Aquaman.”

Asked by The Independent what the future holds for Momoa at DC after Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Safran responded: “When I think of Jason in this role, he is the definitive Aquaman. He’s redefined it. It’s been an 11 or 12 year journey for him - a lot of the audience doesn’t realise that he was cast so long ago. It’s kind of redefined him. When he took this role he was known as Khal Drogo, and now he’s really Aquaman.

“What I hope is that people will really be here to support him on this journey. If it’s the end of the journey, fine. If it goes on, that’s also fine, but I think it has meant so much to him. The way [director] James [Wan] crafted this second film, it feels like a very complete story when you watch the two films together.

“We’ll see what happens with him beyond it. I know that Jason will always have a home at DC, and at Warner Bros. In fact, his next movie is Minecraft.”

Safran was named co-CEO of DC Studios in October 2022 alongside Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn.

He was speaking at an Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom event held at the IWC Schaffhausen boutique in Beverly Hills. The Swiss luxury watchmakers created glowing timepieces for the film’s characters Black Manta, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Dr. Stephen Shin, played by Randall Park.

Discussing the new film, Safran said the challenge for Wan and his team had been to find a story that could live up to 2018’s Aquaman.

“The first Aquaman movie is the highest grossing movie in the DC franchise, ever,” he pointed out. “We knew that if we were going to make a sequel, it would really have to be worthy of what the first movie did.

“We wanted to explore new worlds, new environments, above and below the surface of the ocean. We really wanted to make sure that Arthur Curry, Aquaman’s, journey was something unique and special. Over the course of the first film, here’s a guy who’s half-Atlantean, half-human. He felt like he didn’t belong anywhere.

“What he came to discover was that it’s his otherness that made him belong everywhere. That was the message of the first movie. We needed to figure out what would be worthy for a second movie, and as you’ll see when you see the film, it’s really about bringing his family together.”

Earlier this week, Jason Momoa admitted to being unsure about his future as Aquaman.

“I don’t necessarily want it to be the end… [but] I don’t think it’s really, like, a choice,” Momoa told Entertainment Tonight .

“The truth of it is, I mean, if the audience loves [Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom], then there’s a possibility,” he explained. “But right now, I’m like, ‘It’s not looking too good.’”

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is in cinemas from 22 December.