Aquaman 2 recently finished its third round of reshoots in a move that The Hollywood Reporter calls “unprecedented, even for a movie of this scale.” According to the outlet, the final superhero movie preceding James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe completed what we hope is its third and final round of reshoots back in June.
Citing multiple unnamed sources, THR reports that these new movie reshoots took place in New Zealand and mainly involved Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson. The Aquaman 2 release date has been pushed back several times, with numerous production delays and company restructuring meaning it will arrive in theatres a year after it was originally slated to.
Principal photography on the adventure movie wrapped back in January 2022, but consistently lukewarm reactions to test screenings led to two rounds of reshoots being undertaken between summer 2022 and early 2023.
Before leaving Warner in the autumn of 2022, Walter Hamada, the then-president of DC Films, was reportedly very keen for Michael Keaton to appear in Aquaman 2. According to THR, he wanted the Batman actor to be a Nick Fury-like figure, appearing as Batman to advise and impart wisdom in not just Aquaman 2, but also The Flash and the now-canned Batgirl.
But his swift exit from Warner led to a change in direction, with Momoa announcing in February 2023 that Ben Affleck was returning as the DC character instead in a second round of reshoots. Presumably, according to THR, this was to replace scenes that Keaton’s Batman shot.
Yet, James Gunn and Peter Safran taking over DC Studios led to another change of direction and, you guessed it, another round of reshoots. Sources tell THR that Gunn and Safran ended up cutting Batfleck’s scenes because they didn’t want to promise a cinematic universe they were no longer delivering. Sorry, Bat-fans.
Will Aquaman 2 be the best movie of the DCEU? Probably not, but it can’t be worse than The Flash. If you miss our Caped Crusader, be sure to check out our guides to all the Batman movies in order, DC movies in order, The Batman 2 release date, and the best Batman villains.
Or, find out more about upcoming DC movies like the Blue Beetle release date, Joker 2 release date, the Peacemaker season 2 release date, Chapter 1 Gods and Monsters, the Superman Legacy release date, the Waller release date, the Creature Commandos release date, and Swamp Thing release date.