Widely-known for playing as the Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones, Jason Momoa is now one of Hollywood’s most exciting leading men. In Warner Bros. Pictures’ Justice League, he reprises the character of Aquaman / Arthur Curry, who was first seen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He again plays the character in the highly anticipated stand-alone feature Aquaman, directed by James Wan, due out in December 2018.
In Justice League, Arthur Curry is a wildcard, holding firm to his belief that a strong man is strongest alone. When Bruce (Ben Affleck) tracks him down in a remote Icelandic fishing village, it’s seems a safe bet that no amount of persuading will induce the Aquaman of lore to forego his solitary good works, or his self-imposed solitude.
In other words, Arthur is not a team player. The offspring of a human father and a royal mother from the legendary underwater city of Atlantis, Arthur has never felt truly at home either on land or at sea. But in the frigid outland he calls home, the man with the wild hair, hulking body, and piercing eyes has discovered some semblance of peace, and he isn’t interested in leaving the fringe community he protects, and that protects his anonymity in return.
Similar to Wonder Woman’s status as a demi-goddess, Aquaman’s half-Atlantean heritage gives him an ancient, mythical quality, which, in his case, is only further enhanced by his intuitive understanding of Earth’s vast and still largely untapped oceans and the mysteries they hold. But while Diana grew up on the stories of Amazon history—and has worked out her own feelings on that score—Arthur has yet to begin that personal journey, making him still feel somewhat alien to his place in the world. But when the proverbial wolf is at his own door, joining the League becomes inevitable.
“He’s the heir to the throne of Atlantis, but he’s not the king yet. So, as always, he’s between worlds. But here at the frozen ends of the earth, he has a purpose. Arthur is a good man, he helps people who genuinely need him, and he’s found a place where they accept and respect him. He can take off his ‘mask’ here,” Jason Momoa says about his character.
Momoa himself could be considered a somewhat untraditional choice for the character, as the actor doesn’t quite look like typical illustrations of Aquaman, from any era. But it’s an example of Zack Snyder’s tendency to think outside the box—or, perhaps, to look deep inside. “For me, Jason embodies the spirit and heart of the character,” he offers. “He has a rugged energy and is incredibly smart. This was not a hero we wanted to have a lot of polish, and Jason’s got that little bit of rock n’ roll that makes Aquaman relatable and cool, but at the same time, like all DC supers, aspirational.”
“When he finds he has a place in the Justice League, that’s when he begins to think he could fit in somewhere,” Momoa observes. “And he can really put his skills to good use.” Those talents include wielding a gleaming, powerful Trident that can part the sea, exceptional swimming speeds and the ability to breathe underwater.
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From Warner Bros. Pictures comes the first-ever Justice League big screen epic action adventure, directed by Zack Snyder and starring as the famed lineup of DC Super Heroes: Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.
Watch the trailer here:
