After nearly three years of build-up, it's safe to say that most movie-goers have been disappointed with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Instead of simply focusing on the bout between its titular characters, the movie distracts itself with too many subplots and Justice League setup, and the whole thing suffers for it. Ben Affleck's turn as the Dark Knight is great, but that doesn't matter much if the story itself isn't fun to watch.
It seems like the rest of the DC Cinematic Universe crew is starting to take notice: on top of Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot talking about how her character will be different from the version seen in theaters, Aquaman director James Wan is also running a bit of damage control. Speaking with IGN, Wan promised that his movie wouldn't fall into the same dark, dreary trap that Batman v Superman did.
"... I will say this: the kind of filmmaker that I am, even my darker horror films, generally are still very fun. And I think that's very important. I think that's important for me, and the kind of films I make ... Aquaman is a character that a lot of people have made fun of over the years and I just think it's fun to actually show a really different, cool, badass side to this character, but at the same time, let's not forget to have fun with it."
Out of all the film projects that DC and Warner Bros. have planned, Aquaman is arguably the most risky. Guardians of the Galaxy, another risky superhero movie, at least had the advantage of being unknown — on the other hand, fans and nonfans alike have been making fun of Aquaman for years. Plus, now that Batman v Superman has set the precedent for the DC Cinematic Universe, Aquaman will have to fight to make itself stand out from its predecessor.
With any luck, Wan can make that happen: Aquaman is a hard sell, but if the story's told right, it could be different from just about any other comic book movie out there. With so many set to hit theaters over the next few years, that could end up being very, very important.
At the very least, Wan still has quite a bit of time to iron out any kinks with the film: Aquaman isn't set to debut until 2018.
