Aquaman 3 Teased By Director, The Lost Kingdom Ending Sets Up Third DCEU Movie

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director reveals the DCEU’s last movie sets up a possible Aquaman 3. After a long wait, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s trailer has finally been released, teasing a major adventure that will see Jason Momoa’s Aquaman go head-to-head with a rageful Black Manta. While the movie will mark the end of the DCEU, that does not mean that it will necessarily be the end of Momoa’s Aquaman franchise.

During an Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer screening event attended by Screen Rant, director James Wan revealed that the movie’s ending teases a future return from Momoa’s hero in Aquaman 3. The director reveals that “the Jason Momoa story as Aquaman definitely has more places to go.” Wan also confirms that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s story will culminate in an ending that “does tee up something bigger.” Check out his full quote below:

“What I can speak to that is the Jason Momoa story as Aquaman definitely has more places to go. […] Where we go at the end of this movie, it does tee up something bigger—or, not bigger, but it does tee up a direction for that story and I don’t want to speak to that just because it’s the end of the movie.”

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Wan also revealed what kind of story Aquaman 3 should take Aquaman, Mera, Orm, and others on, saying, “It should be growing these characters.” Check out the full quote below:

“What I like between this one and the first one is, you really do see the growth of Arthur. He starts off as this kind of wanderer, and in the second one he finally has more of a direction of what he wants to do with his life. If and when there is a third one, that’s what it should be; it should be growing these characters because I think we’ve set up certain things in a good place in the second movie that you can definitely draw upon in a third. I don’t have any stories, but growing the characters is the biggest thing that I think the next Aquaman movie should be about.”

What Aquaman 3 Could Be About

There are a few possible ways Aquaman 3‘s story could go. With Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom set to see Black Manta go after Arthur Curry’s family, as revealed by the movie’s trailer, there is a great chance that the movie will adapt a major comic book moment. The movie could see Black Manta kill Aquaman’s son, just like he did in the comics, setting up Aquaman 3.

Black Manta killing Aquaman’s son at the end of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom surely fits Wan saying that the movie’s ending sets up “something bigger” for a possible sequel. It also matches the director’s comments about Aquaman 3 having to keep “growing the characters.” Having Momoa’s hero deal with such a massive loss and pull out of what would likely be a very dark state of mind would be a perfect story to show how his character can grow into an even better hero.

As Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the DCEU’s final movie, a possible Aquaman 3 would either have to be released under the new DC Universe or DC’s Elseworlds label, which projects that are not canon to James Gunn’s DCU will fall on. With Gunn’s past comments hinting that Momoa will be part of the DCU, Aquaman 3 could potentially focus on explaining what Arthur Curry’s role in this new universe is and if there are any differences between the DCEU and DCU versions of Aquaman. That way, Aquaman 3‘s story could breathe fresh air into Momoa’s franchise.