First trailer arrives for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

The first Aquaman movie, one of DC’s better recent efforts, replayed concepts from the history of fantasy, from the likes of Raiders of the Lost Ark to Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth, to Ray Harryhausen fantasy classics, King Solomon’s Mines and Tomb Raider, and even Harry Potter and Tolkien’s Middle-earth stories. The sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, looks to be going for more of the same. It all begins with the cast, and–in particular–the chemistry between Jason Momoa and Amber Heard as Arthur and Mera worked–although Mera is strangely in the distant background in the first trailer. Aquaman director James Wan returns to his CGI-heavy undersea universe, this time letting Yahya Abdul-Mateen II flesh out his villain role as Manta, with Nicole Kidman back as Aquamom and Temuera Morrison back as his dad.