Jason Momoa isn't likely to play Aquaman again after Lost Kingdom – but his DC future might not be over

Following James Gunn's takeover of the ever-expanding franchise, new DCEU plans have suggested that Aquaman's Jason Momoa will be recast as intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo. If so, upcoming sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could turn out to be Arthur Curry's last big screen outing.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the likes of Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 3 aren't moving forward, while Gunn is looking to have Momoa lead another series within the same cinematic universe. In the comics, Lobo is a foul-mouthed, cigar-smoking anti-hero, unlike Superman and Diana Prince, which hints at the kind of characters the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker and his fellow studio head Peter Safran are more interested in focusing on going forward.

Momoa will next be seen as Aquaman in The Flash in June 2023, before Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is released in cinemas on December 25, 2023. Also starring Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lundgren, Willem Dafoe, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman, the follow-up will reportedly see the titular superhero form an unlikely alliance to save Atlantis... and the world. Ben Affleck is also expected to reprise the role of Batman in the flick.

"Aquaman 2 is very heavily inspired by Planet of the Vampires. You can take the boy out of horror but you can never take the horror out of the boy," returning writer-director James Wan previously told Total Film. "The first movie took a lot of people by surprise, right? And that's partially because they were not familiar with the comic book, which deals in this very lurid strange world.

"People were taken aback that I didn't throw all that stuff away and make a dark, heavy film. But I didn't feel that would have been right for it. So with the second film, I feel it will be easier for people to accept where we go because I've already laid the foundation."

While we wait for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's release, check out our list of upcoming superhero movies coming our way in 2023 and beyond.