On December 20, the DC Comics-adapted superhero blockbuster "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom), which debuted at the end of the year, was officially released to Chinese audiences, two days ahead of schedule in North America. Prior to this, director James Wen and starring Jason Momoa started a road show around China, visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou. This is not only the largest publicity campaign for a Hollywood blockbuster after the epidemic, but it was also quite rare even before the epidemic. While the two were staying in Shanghai, reporters from The Paper conducted exclusive interviews with them and listened to them talk about behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the filming and production of the film.

Director James Wan and star Jason Momoa attended the Shanghai roadshow of "Aquaman 2". @DCFilms picture

The story of "Aquaman 2" continues the previous one: after Black Manta tried to defeat Aquaman but failed, he was still unwilling to give up the idea of avenging his father and vowed to destroy Aquaman. He found the legendary Black Trident and unleashed the ancient evil power to increase his power level. In order to compete with him, Aquaman turned to his imprisoned half-brother Orm, the former king of Atlantis, for help, forming an unexpected alliance. This pair of brothers, who are not on good terms, must put aside their old grudges and fight side by side in order to defend the kingdom, save their families, and save the world from the coming disaster, but this is obviously not easy to do...

The team in front of and behind the scenes in the previous "Aquaman" all return in this latest one. In addition to director James Wan and Jason Momoa who plays Aquaman Arthur, they also include Patrick Wilson who plays Orm, Yahya Abdul-Mateen who plays Black Manta, and Atlanna. Nicole Kidman as Queen, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shen, etc.

"Aquaman 2" poster

In an exclusive interview, James Wan particularly emphasized that the scenes in the white frozen kingdom of Antarctica in "Aquaman 2" will be quite shocking, and the underwater visual effects will be even better than those in the first film. The story clues of this part mainly revolve around Arthur and Orm, the two brothers who are at war with each other. "At the end of the first part, Arthur said to his brother, 'When you are ready, we will talk. '. This sentence implies that 'we might be able to become a family', which is the story to be told in the second part."

Jason Momoa revealed in an exclusive interview that the laughter in the film focuses on the interaction between the brothers. "When the story reaches the end, you can see whether Arthur and Orm can truly understand each other." He also talked about the experience of the two tight-fitting costumes he wore in the film, as well as the experience of Aquaman's weapon trident. hidden secrets.

The most interesting thing is that when talking about other types of movies they want to try, James Wan and Jason Momoa both mentioned romantic comedies, quite like a tiger sniffing the roses.

Director James Wan (right), starring Jason Momoa

[Conversation with director James Wan]

"The visual effects of "Aquaman 2" will be a feast for the eyes"

The Paper : In the first "Aquaman", the designs of the mechanical equipment and strange creatures on the seabed are both retro science fiction and futuristic. When conceiving the second part, did you get any new inspiration from somewhere?

James Wan : Or Jules Farne. I tried to incorporate a certain steampunk aesthetic from the work of writer Jules Farnes into the film. In addition, many of the designs and visual effects in this movie are also deeply inspired by retro college style, such as the past "Aquaman" comics and some old TV shows.

The Paper : The action scenes in the previous film "Aquaman" were quite exciting, and it is not difficult to find that many martial arts elements were borrowed from it. What breakthroughs are there in the action scenes of "Aquaman 2"?

James Wan : I always picture Aquaman holding a trident in my mind, which is very similar to how knights in the past held swords, right? In "Aquaman 2", I definitely want to see the scene where Aquaman and Black Manta fight with their own tridents. Maybe you will also think that it looks like two people fighting with lightsabers. It can be said that those sword duel scenes in classic samurai movies and old-school kung fu movies are a big source of inspiration for me.

"Aquaman 2" stills

The Paper : There are many different scenes in "Aquaman 2", including Antarctica. Why did you think of Antarctica as one of the places where the story takes place?

James Wan : As I said before, a lot of my inspiration comes from comic books in the past. In fact, there is a story in the "Aquaman" comic that takes place in Antarctica. We felt that Antarctica was very different from the first "Aquaman" in terms of visual effects, and it was very exciting to bring it to the screen - a frozen kingdom of ice and snow.

The Paper : Excellent visual effects are one of the features of "Aquaman". In your opinion, which scene in Aquaman 2 was the most challenging to complete?

James Wan : In my opinion, the Antarctica scene is undoubtedly a feast for the eyes, but of course it is not easy to create. I love those huge ice and snow caves, which provide a peak and epic feeling. Also, I wanted the underwater visual effects to be better than the first one, so we worked hard to take it to the next level.

The Paper : We already know that "Aquaman 2" is about the two brothers Arthur and Orm who turned enemies into friends and fought against the enemy together. Some netizens joked that this reminded them of the "Fast and Furious" series that you also participated in. What do you think of it?

James Wan : This view is very interesting. Maybe I was subconsciously influenced by "The Fast and the Furious". After all, the whole family is full of energy, but the main thing is to continue the story of the first "Aquaman". In the previous film, family was an important element. Take Arthur, for example. Growing up, he only knew his father who lived on land, but he would always miss his mother and younger brother. So a lot of the first movie is Arthur searching for his family. As a result, he discovered that his brother turned out to be a big villain, which also led to his continued journey to find his family in the second part, because he wanted to find a way to get along with his brother.

And at the end of the first part, Arthur said to his brother, "When you are ready, we will talk." This sentence implies that "we might be able to become a family", which is the story to be told in the second part. So, in "Aquaman 2", Arthur and his brother Orm can finally talk to each other. Although it is in a joking and comic way, they have experienced crazy adventures together.

The Paper : "Aquaman 2" has multiple release formats. Which one do you personally recommend?

James Wan : It will definitely be more enjoyable to watch this movie on the biggest screen possible because we put a lot of effort into visual effects and detail presentation. In addition, to some extent, the 3D effect of this movie will bring a different viewing experience, so it still needs to be watched on a larger screen. I think the big screen would really enhance the story and overall enjoyment of this film.

The Paper : In addition to superhero movies and horror movies, what other genres do you want to try next?

James Wan : I would also like to try science fiction films, or romantic comedies would be good too.

"Aquaman 2" stills

[Conversation with starring Jason Momoa]

"Becoming a father makes Aquaman more human"

The Paper : In the last "Aquaman", Arthur and Orm were still in a state of hostility. But in this latest installment, the two of you will fight together. How can we make this change reasonable?

Momoa : Yes, we started out as enemies, but we are also family - whether he likes it or not. I think what we have to do is not to rationalize the transformation of this relationship, but that we have to put our differences aside in order to save our home. After all, he knew a lot of information that I didn’t. What’s interesting is that we both have to travel through different worlds together with our own problems. I think there are a lot of laughs in this, and I believe the audience will be amused as well. When the story reaches the end, we can see whether Arthur and Orm can truly understand each other.

The Paper : In "Aquaman 2", Arthur has a new identity. On land, he is a daddy; in the sea, he becomes a king. How do you balance these two different identities of your character?

Momoa : This was an interesting setup for the story that we had in mind from the beginning. In this movie, Arthur becomes a veritable king. He has to balance political matters such as the Senate to manage Atlantis. At the same time, he's also trying to be a responsible father—something anyone with children knows is no small challenge. As a result, raising children became part of Arthur's life. There is an element of humor throughout, but it also makes him human as he has to understand and deal with everyday problems.

"Aquaman 2" stills

The Paper : Unlike the first "Aquaman" where many scenes were completed in front of a blue screen, the second one used Eyeline Studio's technology, which means that the actors stayed in a circular cabin to complete the filming. What new experience has this approach given you?

Momoa : I thought it was brilliant. Obviously the technology has come a long way from when I was doing the first Aquaman five years ago. This technology of Eyeline Studio can make the shooting process more comfortable, allowing us to focus more on the performance itself, rather than spending a lot of time perfecting it in post-editing. The cabin where the filming was taken looked really beautiful, like a small room, and everything around it seemed like the world of a video game. There was an actor above, and there was another below - because it was a simulated sea environment, so the various characters were all there. Everywhere. And it was able to capture my facial expressions while I was interacting with the other actors in the cabin, which I thought was amazing.

The Paper : Action scenes are a very important element of the "Aquaman" series. Did you do any special physical training to prepare for the filming of "Aquaman 2"?

Momoa : Actually, I didn’t do any special training. I just had to maintain the strength of my body to ensure that I could complete some stunts. Basically I still continue my usual exercise routine.

The Paper : I found Aquaman’s tights very eye-catching. What was it like to shoot in this outfit? Does it constrain you or does it allow you to get into the role quickly?

Momoa : I have two costumes in this movie, one is a king costume with a gold upper body and a green lower body, and the other is a blue invisibility cloak. Both outfits are great. When you put on the King's outfit, you immediately feel like you're in character. I don’t feel like I’m an imposing person, but when I put on that outfit, I feel powerful. When you put on the blue one - its color is bluish, you will find that this invisibility cloak is actually a bit big. You can move around in it, and you can even eat in it. They do create some constraints, but are obviously necessary.

The Paper : In the video, your weapon, the golden trident, looks quite high-quality. How heavy is it actually?

Momoa : We actually had golden tridents of various sizes on set. Some are very light; some need to be safe to use so that they won't hurt anyone during a fight; and some are really heavy to ensure that they won't move or sway left or right. There are even some tridents in the film that are made of lightweight carbon fiber and come in different styles; the most pointed part in the front is actually soft, so that even if it hits someone, no one will be injured.

The Paper : In addition to superhero movies, what other movie genres or roles do you want to challenge?

Momoa : Comedy, I'm very funny, maybe try a romantic comedy?