Warner Bros. Discovery recently confirmed plans to push Dune: Part Two from this November to next March, a surprising move when the studio has already released two trailers, a number of stills, and splashy features in publications like Vanity Fair and Empire.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, on the other hand, is still heading our way in December...and we've yet to see so much as a single piece of promotion for the sequel. Rumour has it the first trailer will debut during October's New York Comic-Con but will it be too little, too late by that point?
2018's Aquaman grossed over $1 billion but, with DC Studios' DCU reboot looming, it feels like the studio has already given up on the final DCEU title.
Based on what we've heard about the issues with the sequel, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. Test screenings have reportedly been a disaster and it sounds like multiple rounds of reshoots have done little to help get James Wan's DCEU return where it needs to be.
More toys have begun finding their way into stores, offering a new look at Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Mera (Amber Heard), Orm/Ocean Master (Patrick Wilson), and Black Manta (Yahya Adbdul-Mateen II). The costume design for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is great but whether the movie itself will follow suit is hard to say.
[IMAGE REMOVED AT REQUEST OF STUDIO]
DC Comics recently revealed its October solicitations and among them was a one-shot titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special #1. As you might expect, it's a prelude to the movie that promises to fill in the gaps between 2018's Aquaman and this long-awaited follow-up.
Interestingly, the solicitation text mentioned the fact Arthur Curry is "planning a wedding," a surprise when Heard's Mera is said to only feature in a few minutes of the sequel (rumour has it she's hospitalised fairly early on and sits out the vast majority of what follows).
In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, when an ancient power is unleashed, Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to protect Atlantis, and the world, from irreversible devastation.
The movie stars Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Nicole Kidman (Atlanna), Patrick Wilson (Orm), Amber Heard (Mera), Yahya Adbdul-Mateen II (Black Manta), and Dolph Lundgren (King Nereus), along with newcomers in the form of Pilou Asbæk, Vincent Regan, and Indya Moore.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives in theaters on December 20.