Aquaman director James Wan recently opened up about xenophobic author H.P. Lovecraft and his influence on the upcoming DC film starring Jason Momoa.
Lovecraft was a celebrated author during the early 1900s, known for works like “The Rats in the Walls,” “The Call of Cthulhu” and “At the Mountains of Madness.” Wan’s Aquaman features a lot of nods to Lovecraft’s work, including a copy of “The Dunwich Horror” that can be seen in a trailer. Lovecraft was also a well-known racist and would have most likely hated the story of Aquaman. In a reply to a Slate story about just that, Wan opened up about Lovecraft’s influence on the film via Twitter.
I wrestled with this. How much was I willing to lean into this talented xenophobe. I realized I couldn’t make an AQM movie without acknowledging his influences on me. So I decided, “f*ck it, I’m gonna own it.” Have one of my characters quote his work. Which one? …..Black Manta
— James Wan (@creepypuppet) December 18, 2018
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From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an acition-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 will be released in theaters on December 21, 2018.