Promotion for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom might have taken a long time to breach the surface. Still, Warner Bros. is finally doing what it can to get superhero cinema fans to strap their floaties on to dive headlong into the DC’s fraught sequel. Gaining prime real estate during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom lands on the latest Empire Magazine covers for a world exclusive that shows Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) doesn’t appreciate threats to his underwater kingdom.
The first Empire Magazine cover depicts Aquaman driving his trident into a winterized wasteland of ice and snow. As the ground cracks from impact, the friendly-to-fish hero stares with determination and protectiveness. The second cover features Aquaman as an ice sculpture, creating an epic ice logue you could awkwardly drink whiskey shots from. Jack Daniels: Codpiece Edition, anyone?
The first Aquaman movie earned $1.148 billion worldwide and will likely remain the most successful film in the DCEU. Warner Bros. clearly wants the sequel to do well, but the multiple reshoots have been concerning. Reports stated that test screenings for the film could have gone better, and several different edits were produced without effect. The shifting schedule of other DC movies didn’t help, as scenes with Micheal Keaton as Batman (and later Ben Affleck as Batman) were reportedly cut from the movie. The third (and hopefully final) round of reshoots took place under the eye of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
In addition to Jason Momoa as Aquaman, the upcoming Aquaman sequel also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, and Amber Heard as Mera. The sequel will find Aquaman forging an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to save Atlantis and the rest of the planet. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will hit theaters on December 20th.
What do you think of the new Aquaman Empire Magazine covers? Would you drink from an Aquaman ice logue? Are you excited about James Wan’s superhero sequel, or has the bloom for the old DCEU fallen off the rose? Let us know in the comments section below.