Summary
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomdirector James Wan has revealed that the villain Karshon will be leagues apart from their DC Comics counterpart due to a bold decision made during the creative process.
Aquaman2will force Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry to form an uneasy alliance with his half-brother, Orm, to prevent Black Manta from unleashing an ancient power threatening Atlantis.Aquaman 2will also feature Karshon, a character traditionally depicted as an anthropomorphic tiger shark who started as a Green Lantern villain after a radioactive incident gave the predator heightened intelligence and a new body fit for hunting on land. However, the sequel will take creative liberties with the new villain.
RELATED:Batman: The Brave And The Bold Rumored To Have Found Its Writer
Ahead ofAquaman 2’s new release date, one significant detail concerning one of the film’s antagonists has been revealed. In a recent interview withEmpire,Aquamanfranchise director Wan confirmed that the character of Karshon, a.k.a The Shark, would be a regular Atlantean instead of an anthropomorphic tiger shark. “This Karshon is not a shark character. It’s different [from] the comic books in that sense,” Wan revealed. “One of the things we wanted to do, now that Arthur is king of Atlantis, is to give him barriers within the political world. Karshon comes from the High Council and is like a political roadblock for Arthur.”
Instead of being a CGI monster, the role of Karshon will be played by Indya Moore, best known for her role on the seriesPoseon FX,which alsohas anAlienTV series in development. She joins a stacked cast that includes leading man Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman, and the controversial Amber Heard. With such a drastic change in the character, it’s unlikely that fans will be able to guess what Karshon will do in the upcoming film. It might have been interesting to see the full-on humanoid shark in action in the film, but Wan likely didn’t care to rethread the spectacle of King Shark fromSuicide Squad.
The decision seems almost ironic, as there arerumors thatAquaman 2test audiences walked outbecause the film adapted one part of the comics too faithfully, making the radical choice to transform a bloodthirsty superpowered shark villain into a scheming political adversary all the bolder. Bold steps are the order of the day for a film that many people suspect might be too similar to its predecessor.Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomwill also see Wan return to his horror roots as he did forMalignant, which will be a unique experience for DC fans and might be an important factor in earning the embattled final DCEU film some much-needed goodwill. Fans must wait for the holiday season to see how that plays out.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomis set for theatrical release on Jul 19, 2025.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Aquaman balances his duties as king and as a member of the Justice League, all while planning a wedding. Black Manta is on the hunt for Atlantean tech to help rebuild his armor. Orm plots to escape his Atlantean prison.
MORE:Arkham Origins Deserves Its Own Batman Trilogy Leading Up to Arkham Asylum
