‘Aquaman’ Director James Wan Reveals ‘The Trench’ Spin-Off Was ‘A Secret Black Manta Movie’

The Aquaman spin-off was canceled back in April.

Aquaman James Wan Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Black Manta Suicide Squad James Gunn Jason Momoa

Aquaman director James Wan revealed the canceled Trench spin-off film was actually a “secret Black Manta movie.”

Following the smashing success of Aquaman, which became the highest-grossing DC film of all time, Warner Bros. was quick to launch a spin-off project centered on The Trench. At the time, the Aquaman spin-off film was being developed by James Wan with writers Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald.

Back in April, it was revealed The Trench was no longer in development at Warner Bros. Now, Aquaman director James Wann came out on Instagram and shared The Trench spin-off “was really going to be a secret Black Manta movie.” You can check out screenshots of Wan’s comment thanks to Twitter user @Uber_Kryptonian below.

Here is the synopsis for the first Aquaman film:

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.

Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Orm / Ocean Master, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Ludi Lin as Captain Murk, and Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry.

Aquaman is available on Digital HD, 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set to hit theaters on December 16, 2022. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the upcoming Aquaman film and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.

Source: Instagram (via Twitter)

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden's affection for all things DC, Marvel, and Star Wars has led him to entertainment journalism at Heroic Hollywood as a News Editor.