James Wan Refutes ‘Aquaman’ Departure Reports With Pointed Twitter Message To Fans
Zack Sharf
DC Comics‘ film universe needs all the help it can get after the severe critical backlash that met “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” earlier this year, and this weekend didn’t exactly provide the support Warner Bros. needs to assure fans this franchise is heading in the right direction. After news broke on Friday that genre heavyweight Seth Grahame-Smith was leaving “The Flash” because of “creative differences,” rumors began swirling yesterday that James Wan‘s role as the director of “Aquaman” might also be coming to an end. Birth.Movies.Death reported that Wan was hesitant about tackling the big-budget franchise film, but it seems that these early rumors were merely that. In a sly attempt to silence the rumor mill, Wan posted this picture to his Twitter account yesterday:
The site of Wan standing in front of a massive “Aquaman” poster suggests the director is absolutely still on board to direct the film, which will star Jason Mamoa in the title role and is already scheduled to be released on July 27, 2018. Wan is best known as the horror master behind “Saw” and “The Conjuring,” and he signed on to direct “Aquaman” shortly after the blockbuster success of “Furious 7.” He’s back in theaters this summer as the director of the highly anticipated sequel “The Conjuring 2” and as the producer of new horror entry “Lights Out.”
While it’s reassuring to see Wan fully committed to “Aquaman,” his involvement with the film comes at a very important time for the DC Comics Movie Universe. The departure of Grahame-Smith over creative difference echoes what happened with Michelle MacLaren, who was originally set to direct “Wonder Women” before leaving the project for similar reasons. Patty Jenkins signed on to replace her and is currently in production on the film. Wan is a huge get for the franchise, and keeping him on board will be crucial for expanding the universe’s collection of voices beyond Zach Snyder, who must critics agree hasn’t set this universe off on the right foot.
For more, watch the “Batman v Superman” trailer:
Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Festivals newsletter here.
