It was revealed today that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Get Down) is closing in on a deal to be cast as DC Comics’ Black Manta in James Wan’s Aquaman movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. and Wan have been meeting with actors over the past two weeks.
One of the actors that they had reportedly been meeting with is Moonlight star Trevante Rhodes. According to Variety’s Justin Kroll, who revealed the information about the other candidate, it was down down to Abdul-Mateen and Rhodes, but it seems like Wan and the studio chose the former. In addition, Variety added that 24: Legacy star Corey Hawkins was also on the shortlist for the role of Black Manta.
The Hollywood Reporter also revealed today that Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman is currently in talks to join the upcoming DC film as well. Should she sign on, Kidman would play the mother of Arthur Curry a.k.a. Aquaman. She was originally in talks to join Wonder Woman, but negotiations fell through. Production is set to start in May in Australia. Recently Wan and several of the cast members did a table read which they shared an image of on social media.
James Wan’s Aquaman, starring Jason Mamoa as Arthur Curry a.k.a. Aquaman, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko and Patrick Wilson as Orm a.k.a. Ocean Master, is set to come out in theaters on October 5, 2018. The screenplay comes from Will Beall, with story by Wan and DC Films co-head Geoff Johns.
Mamoa, Heard and Dafoe will also be seen in Zack Snyder’s Justice League film, starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Raymond Fisher, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielson, and J.K. Simmons, which opens in theaters on Friday, November 17.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter & Variety
