Aquaman to Be Darker Than Batman v Superman?

Over the course of the last couple of days, there has been a rumor that directorJames Wanmight drop out ofAquamanovercreative differences. The director himself chimed in late yesterday. And while he wouldn’t specifically address the idea that he might bail on the DC Comics adventure, he did hint that’s he’s not going anywhere yet. But if there are creative differences between the filmmaker and Warner Bros., perhaps it revolves around just how dark he plans on going with this comic book adventure.

In a recent interview withEmpire, the man who co-created theSawandInsidioushorror franchises hints that his upcomingDC Comics standalone moviehas more than just a little DNA spillover from his past works. This includes other entries on his directorial resume such as action blockbusterFurious 7and the underrated 2007 revenge thrillerDeath Sentence, starringKevin Bacon. Asked ifAquamanis going to be as dark asBatman V Superman, the director hints that it might go even darker.

“Look at the sensibility of my movies, from Furious 7 to the horror films. You can extract the kind of movie I might make of Aquaman.”

Along withLeigh Whannell,James Wanhelped create the torture porn genre in horror. AndThe Conjuringhas been called one of the scariest movies of this decade. The man returns with the follow-upThe Conjuring 2this summer, and he produced a new potential horror franchise inLights Out. That’s where his heart lies, and it sounds like we’ll be getting anAquamanthat is more scary than it is goofy, colorful superhero fun.

That should be expected, consideringJason Momoa’s quick cameo inDawn of Justice. TheKing of Atlantisis not introduced as a friendly presence. Instead, he is a screaming mad human oddity living under the ocean who appears quite angry about something. Though, what that is is not expounded upon inBatman V Superman.

Even though it sounds likeAquamanwill stay as dark as the DCEU has been lately, there should be a good deal of fun as well.James Wandoesn’t make movies that aren’t without a sense of humor, something that was direly missing fromBVS. He had this to previously say about the way he was handling the humor inAquaman.

“The kind of filmmaker that I am, even my darker horror films are still very fun. And I think that’s important for me and the kinds of films I make. The film I’m here to present, Lights Out, is a fun horror film. And I think Aquaman is a character who has…You know, been made fun of a lot over the years, and I think it’s kind of fun to show a really different, cool,badassside to this character - but at the same time, let’s not forget to have fun with it.”

So even though it might edge towards his more gritty fare, we can expect some lighthearted moments to seep in. More than anything, it sounds like this superhero adventure, which hits theaters in summer 2018, will be taking its underwater king very seriously. At that, we’re also betting that he will kill his fare share of bad guys in his first ever big screen debut.