In the wake of re-writes and production woes for their film The Flash, Warner Bros. is keeping the balance with some exciting casting news for another of their DC Comics properties, Aquaman. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nicole Kidman is in talks to play the sea superhero’s mother. Also in talks is The Get Down actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II for the film’s second villain, Black Manta.
Kidman would be portraying Atlanna, Aquaman’s mother who is from the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. She escapes the kingdom and falls in love with a lighthouse keeper, and the two give birth to a son that would eventually go on to be the bridge between land and sea.
Abdul-Mateen’s Black Manta is a villain known for his unique costuming, trident, and villainous scheming. He is the second villain to be announced for the film. The first is Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother, who will be played by Patrick Wilson (Watchmen).
Also on board for the film are Amber Heard (Drive Angry) as Mera, Aquaman’s royal love interest, Willem Dafoe (Boondock Saints) as Aquaman’s advisor Dr. Vulko, and Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) as the eponymous superhero. James Wan is directing.
Kidman is currently in the Oscars race with a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Lion. Next up, she will be seen in the ensemble cast for HBO’s Big Little Lies and for Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled. Abdul-Mateen can now be seen in the Netflix series The Get Down and soon in the Baywatch remake. He was on the shortlist for the Han Solo standalone film as Lando Calrissian, a role that eventually went to Donald Glover.
Aquaman is slated to hit theaters on October 5, 2018.
Leave a Comment