Aquaman Director James Wan Discusses the Movie’s Comics Inspirations

In a new interview shared on DC’s website, James Wan detailed the inspiration for his forthcoming Aquaman movie, starring Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry. Aquaman, like many of his fellow heroes, has never been reliably cool or cheesy—he teeter-totters back and forth tonally. Wan and his team are hoping to include all parts of the character’s history in their film in some way, from the badassery all the way to the seahorse riding.

In the interview, Wan cites Greg Rucka’s and Ivan Reis’ Aquaman comic as the most influential in terms of “spirit and story.” He loves the politics that have defined modern Aquaman stories, especially the Atlanteans’ deep mistrust of surface dwellers. However, Wan goes back to the early material for inspiration, too. The Super Friends bits, in which Aquaman’s evergreen solution is phoning in a whale friend, are some of his favorites. Somehow, Wan hopes to find a home for both the serious and the silly in the Aquaman movie.

Wan is across the board when it comes to genre, too. He says he’s using the Aquaman mythology to pull together all things Ray Harryhausen, early Spielberg and Romancing the Stone. He wants to use the “action-packed, swashbuckling adventure” umbrella to cover it all. His wide range of experience might help him out: He’s got Saw and Insidious on his resume, right alongside Fast and the Furious 7.