Last month it was reported that Warner Bros. and James Wan were searching for a screenwriter to develop a sequel to December’s smash-hit DC blockbuster Aquaman, and now comes word from Deadline that David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick has signed on to pen the script.
Johnson-McGoldrick previously contributed to the script for Aquaman and has also worked with Wan on The Conjuring 2, as well as writing the screenplay for The Conjuring 3. His other credits include Orphan, Red Riding Hood and Wrath of the Titans.
Wan is set to serve as producer on Aquaman 2 alongside Peter Safran; as yet, Wan is not attached to direct, and is said to be waiting until the script is finalised before making a decision.
Meanwhile in other Atlantis-themed news, it was also revealed last week that Warner Bros. and DC Films had started development on a horror-themed spinoff entitled The Trench, with Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald writing the script and Wan and Safran producing.
At the time, the original report claimed that the spinoff would not feature any of the cast of Aquaman, but Deadline is now suggesting that both Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Amber Heard (Mera) will feature in the movie, and that the two DC heroes will find themselves coming under attack from “a beast who is new in DC Comics mythology.”
From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman”, starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime — one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be … a king.”
Aquaman is directed by James Wan (The Conjuring) and stars Jason Momoa as the titular hero, reprising his role from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, along with Amber Heard as Mera, Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, Willem Dafoe as Dr. Vulko, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry, Ludi Lin as Murk, Michael Beach as Jesse Kane, Djimon Hounsou as the Fisherman King, Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin, Otis Dhanji as a young Arthur Curry, Julie Andrews as Karathen and Graham McTavish as King Atlan.
