DC Movie Nooz: More Black Manta in Aquaman 2 and Cathy Yan Plants a Hint About Harley Quinn’s Future

Aquaman 2

As we’ve previously discussed, screenwriting is one of the few jobs in movie development and production that isn’t heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, which is why what little movie news we’re getting these days besides release date changes has to do with story and script. We’ll take any movie news at this point, which is why we’ve been scouring everything from news and fan sites to Instagram and Twitter, which is where we found this little tidbit about the highly-anticipated sequel to Aquaman.

In answer to a question about comic book inspiration for Aquaman 2, screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick divulged that the movie will take cues from Silver Age Aquaman stories featuring Black Manta.

Hmm… Good question. We're not taking any one particular comic book story and adapting it, but if you want to know the vibe we're going for, pick up pretty much any Silver Age story featuring Black Manta.

— David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (@bravecarrot) March 21, 2020

Aquaman 2 is slated for release in theaters on December 16, 2022.

The Trench

In another tweet, Johnson-McGoldrick explained that James Wan and Peter Safran’s horror-themed spin-off featuring the ravenous piranha people of the deadly kingdom of The Trench will take place between Aquaman and Aquaman 2, even though the movie has yet to be added to the DC Entertainment/Warner Bros. release slate.

Theoretically, it takes place between 1 and 2. But some pieces of this is still being worked out.

— David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (@bravecarrot) March 21, 2020

Birds of Prey 2

Despite a fun, Deadpool-on-glitter vibe and generally positive reviews, Birds of Prey (And the Fabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn) failed to perform at the box office, but director Cathy Yan isn’t quite ready to “let go” of Harley Quinn just yet and neither is Margot Robbie. In a recent interview with The Wrap, Yan said that she would like to move further away from Harley’s relationship with the Joker and explore another one of her tumultuous relationships, one with a character not seen on the big screen since 1995’s Batman & Robin.

I would love to see Poison Ivy and I would certainly love to see the relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

Robbie and Harley Quinn will next appear in The Suicide Squad, tentatively slated for release in theaters on August 6, 2021.

Images courtesy of DC Entertainment/Warner Bros.