One thing you can’t say about James Wan is that he doesn’t like challenges.
The director of the upcoming Aquaman film, The Conjuring 2 and Furious 7 was interviewed by Mike Ryan of Uproxx about his next big superhero project. The 39-year-old said he had his choice of characters in the DC catalog for an upcoming film. Wan said he made the unlikely choice of Aquaman because he wanted to create “a whole new world.”
“They asked me which of the two characters I’d be interested in and it was between The Flash and Aquaman,” Wan told Uproxx. And because the Flash not only has a TV show on now, he had another in the ‘90s, Wan went for the man under the sea.
“The thing that ultimately pushed me more towards Aquaman is I love the possibility of creating a whole new world,” Wan continued. “I’ve always wanted to do a world creation story and visually create this amazing, incredible, magical kingdom. And also, I love the fact that Aquaman is an underdog character. I love the fact that people like to make fun of him. [Laughs.] I feel the bar is a lot lower and I can have fun with him!”
The bar certainly is low, but if anybody can make Aquaman a credible live-action character it’s Wan. He’s shown both the ability to step into long-running franchises and make them better and to create new film worlds that thrive. He’s among the most talented (and bankable) directors in Hollywood.
Would it have been neat to see Wan do The Flash? 100%. But, Aquaman is a strange property where Wan can do whatever he wants with the character. People already have expectations of what The Flash should be. It might not have been a popular choice, but I’d wager we’re going to get a great Aquaman film from Wan.
[io9]
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