Where Was Aquaman 2 Filmed? All Locations Revealed

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom boasted some of the most beautiful locales in cinematic history, filmed on location all over the globe. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was the DCEU’s final movie, concluding the DC Universe’s cinematic franchise in an explosive and visually compelling manner. 2023’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the sequel to 2018’s Aquaman, both of which were directed by visionary director James Wan, who chose a stunning array of filming locations.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman, also known as Arthur Curry, with Patrick Wilson as his half-brother Orm, Amber Heard as his wife Mera, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta. While Aquaman was primarily a romance story between Aquaman and Mera, the sequel explores his subsequent life and his reign over Atlantis, forcing Aquaman to reunite with Orm. While Aquaman is not planned for the DCU’s immediate future, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom provided a visually stunning final chapter for the DCEU.

Related

Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom: 21 Easter Eggs & DC Movie References

Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom is the final movie in the DC Extended Universe, featuring a collection of fun Easter eggs and movie references.

Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, UK

The Majority Of Set Pieces And Underwater Scenes

The majority of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Watford, the United Kingdom. Boasting several enormous studios, stages, and water tanks, Warner Bros. Studios was the ideal location to film the movie’s underwater scenes and stunning set pieces. The CGI-produced Atlantis and the majority of the underwater scenes were filmed at Warner Bros. Studios, using a combination of green screens and elaborate staging. Black Manta’s submarine and headquarters are particularly impressive set pieces that were built at Warner Bros. Studios.

According to director James Wan on Instagram, 95% of the movie was filmed in the UK, with most of this occurring at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden. This is also the studio where much of Justice League was filmed years prior. Even though the first Aquaman movie utilized Australia’s Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom retained many of its original crew members, reuniting much of the production team while shooting at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesdon. The Leavesden studio is famed for producing many Warner Bros. movies, including the Harry Potter movie series.

Saunton Sands, Devon, UK

Beach Fight Scene Between Aquaman, Orm, And The Deserters

The thrilling chase sequence and fight scene shortly after Aquaman frees Orm from the desert prison was filmed on the rural British coast in Saunton Sands, Devon. The picturesque, sandy beach exploited the UK’s natural beauty while providing the perfect environment for the brothers’ fight against the Deserters. It is here where Orm’s vitality was restored by the lapping waves, returning to his former stature with the water’s touch. Saunton Sand’s golden dunes provided the perfect backdrop for the scene, doubling as the Sahara Desert as Aquaman and Orm flee the terrifying Deserters.

Malibu, California

Devil’s Deep Beach Scene

As Aquaman and Orm first arrive at Devil’s Deep, they collapse onto the sandy beach. The very brief scene was filmed in Malibu, California. Director James Wan shared a photo from the location (the same post in which he discussed UK filming, linked above), celebrating their final days of filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

In the post, Wan can be seen posing with Momoa and Wilson in their costumes from the Devil’s Deep scene, jokingly posing with a shower. Wan notes that this was the final scene filmed for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and thanks the UK production team, along with the Hawaiian and Los Angeles units. This suggests that this was the final day of filming before the movie’s reshoots, which occurred in New Zealand.

Hawaii, USA

Devil’s Deep Jungle

Jason Momoa’s homeland of Hawaii provided the perfect tropical jungle for the Devil’s Deep scenes in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The stunning island state was used to depict Aquaman and Orm traversing a beautiful and verdant paradise brimming with exotic flowers and monstrous insects corrupted by the Orichalcum. Hawaii may also have served for some of the movie’s beach scenes, particularly one scene depicting Aquaman, Mera, Orm, Atlanna, and Dolph Lundgren’s Nereus discussing the Lost Kingdom on what appears to be volcanic rock – though this is unconfirmed.

Jersey City, New Jersey

Atlantis Reveals Itself To The World

During the climactic conclusion to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Aquaman and the Atlanteans decide to reveal their existence to the surface world, taking their seat at the table in worldly affairs and joining the wider human race. Jersey City provided the backdrop for this scene, with the expansive bay hosting the Atlantean’s first contact with the world as the waters churned and parted to reveal Aquaman and his comrades rising out of the water on their Atlantean craft. It is in Jersey City where Aquaman subsequently delivers his message to the world, confirming the Atlantean’s existence.

London City Center, UK

Aquaman Addresses The World

London’s iconic Piccadilly Circus appears during the final scene of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. As Aquaman gives his speech announcing Atlantis’s presence to the surface world, his message is broadcast globally. Aquaman’s video is depicted on a screen in London’s Picadilly Circus, filmed on location in the United Kingdom. The brief scene includes a glimpse at London’s famed London Underground, crafting a quintessentially British depiction of the momentary scene. Other cities in this montage were made using footage from Aquaman, as Italy and Asia are not listed among Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s locations.

LA Castle Studios, Burbank, California

Additional Studio Material

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom also utilized the LA Castle Studios in Burbank, California, to film additional material. As the majority of the movie was filmed at the UK’s Warner Bros. Studios, these scenes were likely minor reshoots or pick-up shots filmed later without the principal cast. Though these will constitute a very minor part of the movie.

New Zealand

Additional Reshoots

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom performed reshoots on location in New Zealand. Precisely which scenes filmed here are unclear, though James Wan has confirmed in an interview with Empire magazine that it was between seven and eight days. This is fairly minimal for a modern blockbuster movie and counters many rumors that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom required extensive reshoots.

Wan claims that these days were merely spread out over an extended period due to conflicting schedules with the movie’s stars. However, the sequel’s reshoots remain a point of contention regarding Amber Heard’s prominence in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Nevertheless, New Zealand’s beautiful landscape could have doubled for the movie’s beaches and the verdant paradise of Devil’s Deep, contributing to Aquman and the Lost Kingdom‘s stunning locations.