As far as the movies are concerned, 2016 is all over for the DC Universe. Though Marvel still has Doctor Strange coming to theaters in early November, and DC titles has been having a hell of a run on The CW, the beloved comics publisher already dropped their movies for the year, with Suicide Squad closing out their year at the movies in memorably poor fashion. So, naturally, all eyes are on the next big releases on their 2017 docket, which includes Wonder Woman and Justice League, both of which already look infinitely more promising than Suicide Squad or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
In both those cases, however, we've already seen quite a lot through images and bits of footage from San Diego Comic-Con and other events, as well as just the churning information mill that is the internet. For me, the one that interests me the most is James Wan's Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa as the titular aquatic hero, if only because Wan is the best director out of the bunch. The filmmaker made a Fast & Furious fan out of me with Furious 7 and his Insidious is, inarguably, one of the best horror films of this decade. He's got a unique talent for visual storytelling and audacious set-pieces which, if given full reign, could really make something out of the material, and his recent comments during the Australians in Film Awards Gala in Hollywood to ET are just as promising
Here's what Wan had to say about Aquaman:
"I kind of don't want to give too much away but know this: The spirit that I'm going for is like a classic sort of swashbuckling action adventure, sort of high seas adventure story...It's ultimately a quest story in the spirit of Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Romancing the Stone."
Nearly any major action-adventure movie takes its hints from Raiders of the Lost Ark or any other Indiana Jones movie, but pointing out Romancing the Stone speaks more to Wan's capacity for humor and action. Romancing the Stone is a genuine adventure, led by Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and the indispensable Danny DeVito, and if Aquaman has a similar confidence in tone and execution, it will be the movie that turns DC's sinking ship around. And hey, if there's some light and color and not just two hours of grim nonsense, all the better.
