The Get Down actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been cast as Black Manta in Warner Bros upcoming film Aquaman.
Director James Wan have been meeting with numerous actors over the last two weeks to finalize their decision. It seems Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who can be seen next in Baywatch opposite Dwayne Johnson, beat out a few fan favourites, including Micheal K. Williams, for the part.
Jason Momoa is starring as the half-human, half-Atlantean who is king of the underwater seas. Amber Heard is on board as Mera, his royal love interest, and Willem Dafoe is set to portray Aquaman’s advisor, scientist Dr. Vulko. Patrick Wilson, who starred in Wan’s Conjuring movies, will play Orm aka Ocean Master, a villain who happens to be Aquaman’s half-brother.
Black Manta was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy in “Aquaman” #35 in 1967, and though the character fought the King of Atlantis for decades, it wasn’t until the 1990s that he was finally given an origin, which has since changed over the years since. Originally Black Manta was a child abused by a ship’s crew that he was a member of, seeking revenge against Aquaman as an incarnate of the sea, but recent iterations of the character have seen him blaming Aquaman for his father’s death and seeking to kill the hero for revenge.
“The kind of filmmaker that I am, even my darker horror films generally are still very fun and I think that’s important for me and the kind of films I make,” Aquaman director James Wan told IGN in March. “Aquaman is a character that a lot of people have made fun of over the years and I just think it’s fun to actually show a really different, cool, badass side to this character but, at the same time, let’s not forget to have fun with it.”
Aquaman is being written by Will Beal (Gangster Squad) from a treatment by DC Comics Chief Creative Officer and President of DC Entertainment Geoff Johns. The film is due in 2018.
