Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who plays Black Manta in Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom, says he is excited to see Dwayne Johnson’s interpretation of Black Adam.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II says he’s excited to see Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. Abdul-Mateen II plays Black Manta in the Aquaman franchise, a long-standing villain in the DC universe. Introduced in 2018’s Aquaman, Black Manta will be further explored in the sequel, with Abdul-Mateen II saying it will be a more “mature” version of David Kane, aka Black Manta. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is again directed by James Wan and starring Jason Momoa as the titular character.
Black Adam has been a long-gestating project for Dwayne Johnson and his first big foray into the genre of superheroes. Director Jaume Collet-Serra is helming the first big-screen adaptation of the famed anti-hero and last directed Johnson in Jungle Cruise. In addition to Johnson, a multitude of other superheroes will show up for the film, including Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, and Noah Centinio as Atom Smasher.
In a recent interview with THR, Abdul-Mateen II talked about everything from his upcoming appearance in The Matrix: Resurrections to his role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. He also says that he’s excited to see what Dwayne Johnson brings to Black Adam. While dodging the question of potential crossovers and how interconnected Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is to the rest of the DCEU, Abdul-Mateen does say that there’s a lot of “new blood” in the DC world and hopes that it continues. Abdul-Mateen II was dutiful about keeping the DCEU secrets (and Matrix secrets) but is no less looking forward to the future for both franchises. Here’s what he had to say when asked about crossovers and Black Adam:
“That’s one of those questions that I’ve kind of gotta be tight-lipped about. But I am excited about what Dwayne’s gonna bring. There’s a lot of new blood and new energy into this DC world right now. And, hopefully, it continues along the line of that trend.”
With both Black Adam and the upcoming The Flash and The Batman introducing new (and old) characters from the DC Universe into the DCEU, as well as their slate of HBO Max films on the horizon, the new blood appears to be a now common thread. The Flash will introduce a new Supergirl (Sasha Calle), while the HBO Max films will introduce a new Batgirl (Leslie Grace) and a new iteration of Blue Beetle (Xolo Maridueña). For Matt Reeves’ The Batman, a new actor will once again don the cowl (Robert Pattinson), making yet another new version come to life on the big screen.
With Johnson throwing his hat into the genre with Black Adam and the onslaught of talent taking up franchise roles in an ever-expanding DCEU, the excitement is real, so Abdul-Mateen is not alone in feeling that way. While some projects have a bigger appeal than others, it does feel like the DC slate is expanding and connecting, which was the plan WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff laid out a short while ago. While it leaves questions about languishing projects, such as The Ayer Cut of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad and the desire for more of Ben Affleck as Batman (who appears in The Flash), let alone a continuation of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, there is still a full stream of projects on the way to satiate most fans, which will no doubt open doors for more growth in the DCEU.
Source: screenrant.com