After five years of waiting, Aquaman is finally hitting the cinemas again. Warner Bros. released the first trailer for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom», announcing the return of Jason Momoait’s aquatic CC hero.

“Lost Kingdom” follows Momoa’s Arthur Curry, better known as Aquaman, half-human, half-Atlantean hero, now seated on the throne of Atlantis. The sequel sees him team up with his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to fight the ruthless pirate Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).

Here’s the logic: “Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to eliminate Aquaman once and for all.” This time, Black Manta is more fearsome than ever, wielding the power of the mythical Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former king of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must put aside their differences to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family and the world from irreversible destruction.

Besides Momoa, Wilson and Abdul-Mateen, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, Willem Dafoe and Dolph Lundgren will also reprise their roles from the original film, with Randall Park appearing as Dr. Stephen Shin after making a cameo appearance in the film . first film. Vincent Regan, Indya Moore and Pilou Asbæk also join the cast. James Wan returns to direct the sequel, with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick writing the screenplay.

The film has attracted attention because it is the first major project starring Heard following last year’s high-profile defamation trial between the actress and her ex-husband Johnny Depp. During the trial, Heard claimed that her role was cut by the studio following the fallout from her divorce from Depp, which caused her to be the victim of significant online harassment. She said she made $1 million for the first “Aquaman” and $2 million for the sequel, even though the role was “a very stripped down version.”

However, Wan told Entertainment Weekly that the Aquaman sequel was always considered to focus on the relationship between Arthur and Orm: “I always presented this to everyone from the start. The first “Aquaman” was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second film would always be Arthur and Orm. So the first one was a romantic action-adventure film, the second one is a romantic action-adventure film.

The “Aquaman” sequel is the fourth DC film to be released this year, following the lackluster debut of “Shazam!” Fury of the Gods,” “The Flash,” and “Blue Beetle.” New DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are rebooting the DC Universe, but no decisions have been announced regarding whether Aquaman or Momoa will be involved in the upcoming roster.

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is scheduled to hit theaters on December 20, 2023. Watch the trailer below.