Although he’ll be playing second fiddle to Patrick Wilson’s Ocean Master in this December’s Aquaman, it seems that Warner Bros. and DC Films have big plans in store for Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta in the future.
“We certainly have every intention that Manta plays a very large role in the DC universe,” producer Peter Safran tells CinemaBlend. “He has to. He’s just too great. And we give him his origin story in this movie. We do show how Manta, that we see in the comic books, became that character. And we’re so fortunate to have this guy, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, to play him. I don’t know if you guys saw The Get Down on Netflix, this guy Yahya is just extraordinary, and he came in and he auditioned and we met with him and it was just a slam dunk.”
“We love Manta,” he continued. “From the early days of developing the screenplay he’s just such a great antagonist and he’s such a fan favorite, and the response every time people hear that he’s in the movie or that it’s confirmed that he’s in the movie they’re thrilled about it. So we always wanted to give him his storyline, and if Orm is the primary antagonist, then Manta is certainly is a very strong secondary antagonist. There is a connection between Orm and Manta that will be revealed that helps make him a more integral part of the story.”
It was rumoured late last year that Black Manta would form part of Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Slade Wilson’s (Joe Manganiello) Legion of Doom / Injustice League, although a recent report claimed that Warner Bros. has since changed its plans and is no longer looking to build towards the supervillain team-up. Whether that’s true or not, it certainly sounds like we won’t have seen the last of Black Manta after he tussles with Arthur Curry this December.
SEE ALSO: Aquaman director explains Ocean Master’s beef with the surface dwellers
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 and Graham McTavish in an as-yet-unrevealed role.
Originally published August 5, 2018. Updated November 21, 2019.
