For the majority of Jason Momoa’s acting career, he has been limited to supporting player status. That changed in 2018 when Warner Bros. transitioned his role as a backup superhero in “Justice League” to giving Aquaman his first full-length feature film. Shockingly, Momoa’s first outing as the titular superhero became the highest-grossing film based on a DC Comics character of all time. Breaking the $1 billion mark at the international box office was an impressive milestone for one of the comic book realm’s most-mocked characters.
Unfortunately, since then, the “Aquaman” franchise has become muddied by controversy. First, an anticipated horror-themed spin-off, “The Trench,” was abruptly canceled by the studio. Then, the newly appointed head of DC’s cinematic universe, James Gunn, stabbed a trident into the upcoming sequel “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” when he confirmed it would not link to future projects. “Nothing is canon until ‘Creature Commandos’ next year,” he said on Threads (via MovieWeb).
Finally, Momoa’s co-star Amber Heard created a storm of rumors regarding the behind-the-scenes turmoil of “Aquaman 2.” As part of the actress’s highly publicized court hearings with ex-husband Johnny Depp, documents of her therapy sessions were released pointing a finger at Momoa’s on-set behavior. Heard alleges that the actor wanted her fired, worked while inebriated, and once dressed as Depp to get under her skin. However, DC denied the claims, with a spokesperson saying, “Momoa conducted himself in a professional manner at all times” (via Variety).
