It was recently announced that not only wouldAquaman 2be hitting theaters on June 08, 2025, but director James Wan and producer Peter Safran are also prepping a spin-off movieThe Trench. This spin-off will be based on those lovable little creatures who attacked Aquaman and Mera (Amber Heard) in the recent hit film’s most “horror” sequence. And today we have word via Safran that he expectsThe Trenchwill open beforeAquaman 2. Safran was interviewed Tuesday morning at the opening of theAquaman exhibitat Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood and said this.
“We always, even from the early concept art days, loved the idea of a Trench movie. Then, when audiences embraced it in the movie itself the way they did, particularly that ant farm shot where the camera follows the Trench [creatures] following Arthur and Mera down into the deep, we just knew that we had something very special there and we knew what that movie should be. And consequently, I suspect that that’s one that will come out significantly beforeAquaman 2.”
While we don’t know much about just what the hell will go down in this newAquamanhorror spin-off, Safran did confirm that it won’t featureJason Momoa’s Arthur Curryor Heard’s Mera. But that said, the producer did let us know thatThe Trenchwill take place following the events of the originalAquaman. After that, supposedly, the producer has also teased that there are other areas of the Atlantean universe he’s interested in possibly spinning-off or mixing in withAquaman 2. Safran continues to say this.
“We’ve definitely taken a page from ourConjuring playbook, which is: You’ve got the mothership, which is Aquaman, but there are so many great stories to tell within that universe of itself, that Atlantean universe.”
He then adds this.
“Myself andJames Wanalways shared the same philosophy, which is: You want to do it right. You don’t want to do it fast. You just want to do it right. DC’s got a nice slate of movies that are coming out. I think that when you’re making really strong stand-alone movies, there’s really no need to bring them together. You want to give these characters room to breathe and live and tell their stories. Wonder Woman has shown what a great stand-alone property that is. And in Aquaman, we feel the same way. We think that there’s a great sequel and beyond to tell. We introduce seven kingdoms of Atlantis, right? James Wan knows the architecture, the armory, the military, the look, the feel, the general vibe of each of these kingdoms, and I’m sure that there will be an opportunity to explore them in some way later on.”
DC currently has David F. Sandberg’sShazam!coming soon along withBirds of Preystarring Margot Robbie, Matt Reeves’s Ben Affleck-lessThe Batmanand writer-director James Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad. All of these titles are set to beunleashed before James Wan’s Aquaman 2and so there’s really no telling at this point in time just whereThe Trenchfits into DC’s plans. But whatever happens, we’ll verify to keep you up-to-date. This interview was originally conducted byThe Hollywood Reporter.
