Following the news that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom would be delayed once more, director James Wan shared some new concept art for the sequel on his Instagram. Besides giving us a peek at the underwater wonders of Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, Wan also commented on the delay, saying that he feels December is the perfect month to release the highly-anticipated sequel.

Amidst the turmoil caused by the Warner Bros. Discovery merge, the DC Extended Universe has suffered heavy losses, with multiple projects being canceled. Yesterday, the company took another step in restructuring its superhero cinematic universe by pushing Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom from March 2023 to December 2023, with Shazam: Fury of The Gods taking over the March release date.

While fans might be bummed about waiting nine more months before catching the sequel in theaters, the silver lining is that the second Aquaman film is still on track to be released and will not suffer a similar fate as Batgirl. Wan is also optimistic about the change, as the first movie was successfully released in December 2018. As Wan puts it, “I’m a bit superstitious and I love that it’s a December release like the first one!”

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Image Via Warner Bros. Pictures

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Since Wan knows we are excited to see what he’s been cooking for the sequel, the filmmaker shared new concept art that teases the dangers Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) will face in Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, and the wonders of the Seven Seas. We don't know much about the upcoming film’s plot, and Wan hasn’t “even shown the weird and wonderful characters and creatures of this world yet.” However, the new images tease a brutal battle between Aquaman and giant jellyfish, while also revealing a tentacular monster trapped in ice. The concept art also shows an idyllic natural kingdom that might be the titular Lost Kingdom, a place we speculate to be inspired by the Black City of Necrus. Finally, the images promise a big rematch between Aquaman and Black Manta (Yahya Abdul).

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will also see the return of Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, Amber Heard as Mera, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, and Temuera Morrison as Aquaman’s father, Tom Curry. It’s still uncertain how the sequel will connect to the bigger DCEU, but Ben Affleck is reportedly returning as Bruce Wayne, at least if Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t change plans until December 2023. Wan directs from a script written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, but Momoa himself co-wrote the story treatment for the sequel.

Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom will hit theaters on December 25, 2023. Check out the sequel’s new concept art below.