In early December, director James Wan and actor Jason Momoa arrived in China on a promotional tour of "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." The pair enjoyed the sights at the Forbidden City and Great Wall in Beijing, explored the Bund in Shanghai, tasted delicious food in Chengdu and Guangzhou, and attended meet-and-greets packed with screaming fans.

Director James Wan and actor Jason Momoa on the set of "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." [Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures]

"I've put on so much weight since I got here," Momoa said laughing before the interviews began. "I love Chinese food."

Both men said they were excited to return to China and meet the fans having previously visited for the first movie in 2018, which grossed a staggering 2 billion yuan ($281.42 million) in China alone, marking a phenomenal success for a foreign film. During the intervening years, several significant events unfolded, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the merger of WarnerMedia with Discovery, Inc. to create Warner Bros. Discovery, the establishment of DC Studios led by James Gunn and Peter Safran, multiple reshoots for "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," and legal battles between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. Even Gillian Zhao, president of Warner Bros. Discovery China, who oversaw the phenomenal success of the first film, left the company in November.

But Wan still managed to present this wondrous sequel, turning it into a "buddy comedy," further exploring the grandeur and spectacle of the undersea world, addressing Aquaman's new identity as king and father, and delving into themes of environmental protection and humanity.

"One of the things that Jason and I like about this film is that it deals with kind of darker, more adult themes compared to the first film," Wan said. "The monsters, in a lot of ways, are a metaphor, right? It's a metaphor for if we go too far, if we do things without respecting the planet enough, we're going to unleash these monsters."

But he added, "And I just see that as a great excuse for me to have fun with them."

A composite image shows Aquaman's identities as king of Atlantis, father and brother. [Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures]

The "fun" part is indeed a rare treat in a James Wan film, as the director is primarily known for his mastery in the horror genre. Notably, there are several amusing moments between Aquaman and his brother Orm, portrayed by Patrick Wilson. One such instance involves Aquaman's trickery coaxing Orm into eating a cockroach.

Momoa was thrilled by how well the first movie played out and how many people loved it. "Little kids come up to you, like, 'You're Aquaman!'" he said. The actor recalled writing something and bringing it to Wan, expressing his strong desire to portray those aspects. "I really would love for the world to see these... so we made another beautiful movie. We built this world where no one's ever seen anything like that, no one's ever seen a superhero character like that."

"If you enjoy the first movie, this is pretty much a continuation of the first film, and I would say you can watch the two films back to back, and they play like one film," Wan said. "You get to see what he's like five years later, now that he's the king of Atlantis. He's married, he's a husband, but he's also a dad as well. Part of the fun is seeing how he juggles the responsibility of being a king and a dad. On top of all that, he has to stop a great evil from happening, and that's where the action-adventure fun comes into play."

In "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," Black Manta, still fueled by the need to avenge his father's death, is determined to defeat Aquaman, wielding the formidable power of the mythic Black Trident. To counter this threat, Aquaman seeks an alliance with his imprisoned brother Orm, the former king of Atlantis. Together, they must overcome their differences to protect the kingdom, Aquaman's family and the world from irreversible destruction. Jason Momoa, along with Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman, returns in the sequel — the highest-grossing DC movie of all time. The film opened in China on Dec. 20, and had taken 224 million yuan in the country by the following Sunday.

The underwater world from the movie "Aquaman." [Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures]

In this film, Atlantis is even bigger, brighter, more colorful and more vibrant than ever. However, Arthur and Orm are on a quest that will take them to an entirely new place: the Lost Kingdom. The landscape of Antarctica is inspiring and familiar, but it's also a place most of us have not visited, allowing Wan to explore a heightened version of it. He said he was excited to create this kingdom, a completely new visual element in this film, along with other new worlds. And it wouldn't be one of his films without some of his signature creations, so there are new, dark creatures for audiences to enjoy.

In terms of the visuals of the world and effects, Wan felt they had a lot to live up to from the first film and wanted to continue the visual excitement while also showing people new things. For the sequel's "underwater" scenes, the visual effects team adopted a whole new approach. Using Eyeline Studio — a brand-new, groundbreaking technology — Wan and his team were able to liberate both the cast and the camera, creating a 360-degree aquatic world. For the super-sized sequel, the filmmakers were committed to a more expansive and immersive experience, delivering something entirely new and exciting — their mantra being to provide new environments above and below the water, while anchoring them to the realms in the iconic first film. Atlantis is much more detailed and built-out, and many of these never-seen-before worlds are revealed, from the deserter prison and underwater den, to the jungle and volcanic island.

Director James Wan and actor Jason Momoa answer questions during an interview in Beijing in early December 2023. [Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures]

As the protagonist's journey continues, he has to shoulder different roles. "It's more about it like doing his responsibility, like his dad says to him, 'Sometimes, being a superhero is just about waking up each morning and doing the work that you may not want to do.' And that I think kind of carries a big message of the film is like sometimes you have to do the hardest stuff, right? Even if you don't want to do it," Wan said.

"For Arthur Curry, it really is about him not enjoying being a king, but it's the right thing to do. And ultimately by the end of the movie, he realizes that he has what it takes to be a king," Wan added. "That for me is the theme that we played into in a big way."

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