James Gunn and Peter Safran’s creative overhaul of DC Studios has seen many of Hollywood’s biggest stars ousted from their longtime superhero roles. Henry Cavill had to cede the role of Superman to David Corenswet for Gunn’s upcoming reboot “Superman: Legacy,” while Dwayne Johnson confirmed that he’ll be taking a hiatus from playing Black Adam.
The latest casualty could be Jason Momoa‘s Aquaman. The Hawaiian actor has played the superhero since 2017’s “Justice League,” and headlined his own feature film in 2018 in addition to making a variety of cameo appearances. He’ll grace the big screen again in James Wan’s “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” which opens December 22, but the star thinks that might be the end of the road for the character.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Momoa expressed pessimism about his own future as Aquaman when asked about Gunn and Safran’s plans for the character.
“I don’t necessarily want it to be the end,” Momoa said of his new sequel. “I don’t think it’s really, like, a choice.”
While Momoa didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of returning if “The Lost Kingdom” becomes an enormous success, he predicted that the revamped DC Studios would likely pursue a fresh start for the hero.
“The truth of it is, I mean, if the audience loves it, then there’s a possibility,” Momoa said. “But right now, I’m like, ‘It’s not looking too good.’ I love this character and [want to] play it for a long time. I kind of see where I would want it to go. And even in the next 10 years or so, like there’s a lot of cool things they can do. And I do enjoy the role and the world. So, I mean, it just comes down to if people love it.”
It would mark the end of a serendipitous road for Momoa, who previously revealed that he was surprised to see how popular the first “Aquaman” film became.
“Well, to be perfectly honest, I was absolutely baffled that ‘Aquaman’ was received so well,” Momoa said in a recent interview with Men’s Health. “I’ve done things that are amazing that no one sees and no one gives a shit about. You just don’t know in this business.”
