'Aquaman' Cast News: Swedish Action Actor Confirmed to Play Villainous Role
Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren ("The Expendables") is confirmed to play a part in the upcoming DC Comics-based movie "Aquaman," which is slated for a 2018 release.
Lundgren will play King Nereus, ruler of the Xebel Kingdom and an Atlantean exile. His role is a villainous one, as he aims to kill the King of Atlantis and get Queen Mera by his side.
Accordingly, the Kingdom of Xebel is an extradimensional underwater colony which is inside a sealed portal in the Bermuda Triangle. It was also once ruled by Queen Mera herself and is a known place for the exiles of Atlantis.
It is unclear, however, if the character will be the main antagonist of the movie, as it has three confirmed villainous roles so far in it. First is Aquaman's half brother, Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson), and the second is Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).
King Nereus first appeared in an Aquaman comic book in 2013 - making him a fairly new character in the DC Comics world.
Meanwhile, Lundgren is also known for having roles in action movies such as "Rocky IV," "Universal Soldier," and 1989's "The Punisher."
The actor joins other confirmed cast members for this fillm such as Jason Momoa ("Game of Thrones") as Aquaman, Amber Heard ("The Danish Girl") as Queen Mera, Willem Dafoe ("John Wick") as Dr. Vulko and Nicole Kidman ("Grace of Monaco") who plays Aquaman's mother.
Both Momoa and Heard will also seen in this year's "Justice League" movie as Aquaman and Mera, respectively. The upcoming movie will be directed by Zack Snyder and is already scheduled for a November release.
Meanwhile, "Aquaman" is set for a Dec. 21, 2018 release in U.S. theaters and it will be directed by James Wan, who is also known as the director of "The Conjuring" horror franchise. Filming is set to start this May.