James Wan Reveals He Chose To Direct Aquaman Movie Over The Flash

Was it the right choice?

James Wan Aquaman Flash
DC Comics/Wikimedia Commons

A year after he was announced as the director of Aquaman, and just a month after rumours swirled he might be leaving the film, James Wan has spoken about just why he decided to take on the movie.

Speaking to Uproxx, Wan revealed that he had initial conversations about joining the DC Extended Universe even before the first Conjuring movie had been released, and that he was actually given a choice between Aquaman and The Flash over which one he wanted to direct. Obviously he chose the former, explaining:

"This is how I weighed it: For me, weve seen various versions of The Flash Theres a popular show on TV and there was a great one in the 90s But the thing that ultimately pushed me more towards Aquaman is I love the possibility of creating a whole new world. Ive 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!

Given that the DCEU has suffered so far from being too dark and gritty, an unrelenting tone that hasn't let up, so it's interesting to hear him talk about having a lot of fun with the character, and being aware that he's not one taken particularly seriously in some quarters. Wan, who also directed the last Fast & Furious film, knows how to deliver a big, enjoyable movie, and hopefully he can bring some of that into the DCEU with the Jason Momoa-starring Aquaman.

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Still, it's a shame we didn't get to see his take on the Scarlet Speedster, The Flash & The Furious...

Aquaman is scheduled for release July 27, 2018.

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Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.