'Aquaman' Plot Spoilers, Speculations: Black Manta Shown in Early Photo?
"Aquaman" fans have a long wait ahead of the movie's premiere date on Dec. 21, 2018, so this early look at a scene from the upcoming film will have to do. In a photo released around Dec. 28, Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) can be seen facing off against an armed man in black.
USA Today ran its line-up of must-see movies for 2018, and among them is an entry for "Aquaman" accompanied by a new photo of a scene in progress, along with commentary from director James Wan.
In late December this year, DC Comics fans will get to see Aquaman face off against some hard-hitting villains. None of them are as deadly or as closely connected with Arthur Curry as his archvillain, Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).
Could he be the shadowy figure shown in the photo? Aquaman, still on his way up in the days before he was crowned King of Atlantis, is seen without trident or armor as he looks on menacingly at a figure in black armor, as Comic Book Movie points out.
Black Manta is a villain who does not harbor complicated motivations. The story between him and Aquaman "is very primal, that classic revenge story," director James Wan noted.
"I love the simplicity of that human drive," he added. Before that, Wan describes Aquaman as a bridge between two realities, one threatened by conflict between land dwellers and his own undersea people.
"He doesn't quite fit in, but as the story progresses, he realizes he's the best of both worlds," Wan explained, adding that his struggles in the movie is part of his growth as a human being and will go a long way in giving him a way to "realize the bigger picture of it all and what it means to have these abilities."
"Aquaman" is set to launch to theaters on Dec. 21.