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‘Aquaman’ Director Opens Up About Meera And Superhero’s ‘Will They, Won’t They’ Relationship, Talks Influences

By Gregory Wakeman
Published on: 04:52 PST, Oct 25, 2016

James Wan has opened up about the topsy-turvy relationship between Meera and Aquaman that will be at the heart of Aquaman, admitting that the water-crossed lovers don’t exactly see eye to eye when the blockbuster starts off.

Wan, who has been tasked with overseeing the origin story for the nautical superhero because of his work on Saw and Furious 7, admitted that audiences and DC fanatics will get a “flavor” of the dynamic between Amber Heard and Jason Momoa, who are playing Meera and Aquaman, respectively, when the duo appear in Justice League next year.

According to Bustle, Wan explained that Aquaman and Meera initially butt heads at the start of the blockbuster. “It starts off initially with them not quite clicking with each other,” Wan revealed. “But then as the story progresses as they learn to try and work together, they get closer and closer. I think those stories are always such a great place for a filmmaker like myself to have fun with my actors.”

Wan went on to discuss why the casting of Amber Heard as Meera was so important, as he explained that he wanted an actress that could bounce off of the rather imposing and masculine Jason Momoa, while still emanating a “feminine quality.” It seems to be a case of so far so good for the director, too, because Wan admitted that he’s convinced that the film’s “dynamic will be really interesting between the two.”

Wan added, “Amber’s character is super strong, she’s very powerful as well. You don’t wanna mess with her. I think Amber will bring that sense of strength, but at the same time, we also want someone who has a sort of feminine quality to her as well. She’s a bit of a contrast to Momoa, who’s more of a muscular machine almost.”

Wan actually teased details about Aquaman just last week, too. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, he discussed some of the cinematic influences that have helped to create the blockbuster, admitting that his plan with the film is to create a hybrid of the classic 80s adventure films Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Romancing The Stone. After Wan had initially insisted, “I kind of don’t want to give too much away” he then immediately buckled and added, “But know the spirit that I’m going for is like a classic swashbuckling 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.”

Having previously overseen the likes of 2004’s Saw, 2011’s Insidious, 2013’s The Conjuring, and Insidious: Chapter 2, which was also released in 2013, James Wan was given his biggest budget to date with 2015’s Furious 7. Universal Studios allowed him to splash $190 million on the seventh installment of the franchise, while its production was blighted by problems, which included the death of its lead star Paul Walker.

However, Wan was still able to oversee a blockbuster that went on to gross $1.516 billion, and was roundly perceived to be the most exhilarating installment to the franchise yet. This made Wan one of the most in-demand directors in Hollywood, and Warner Bros. soon gave him a call to offer him an origin story of their burgeoning DC Extended Universe.

After briefly considering overseeing the upcoming Flash solo film, Wan went with Aquaman, later admitting that he was swayed because not as many people know about the character. Aquaman isn’t scheduled to be released until 2018, while, as Wan admitted above, you’ll be able to get a glimpse of Momoa and Heard’s dynamic as Aquaman and Meera when Justice League is released in just over a year’s time on November 17, 2017.

[Featured Image via DC Extended Universe]

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