Aquaman 2 Trailer Brings James Wan Campy Vibes To A Fight For The Seven Seas

A new trailer for "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" just dropped on Twitter, giving fans yet another look at the James Wan-directed sequel and Jason Momoa's return as Arthur Curry.

This long-awaited sequel is, as of this writing, finally set to release on December 20, 2023, following up on the origin story "Aquaman" — which came out all the way back in 2018. Thanks to COVID-19 and about a million other factors, "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" promises an adventure centered around brotherhood and family as a brand-new villain, Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), threatens not only Atlantis but the entire world.

Superhero movies have been struggling to hit big at the box office throughout 2023, but it looks like "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" has real potential to make a big splash (sorry). Here's what the trailer for the second "Aquaman" movie tells us about the story and what fans can expect from Arthur Curry and his underwater kingdom this time around.

As the trailer kicks off, Arthur tells us, in voiceover, that things have changed since we saw him last — he's a husband and a father now, raising his child alongside his own dad, Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison). (Amber Heard, who plays Arthur's love interest Mera, is barely seen in this trailer.) He's also got a tough job these days as the King of Atlantis, and with such a varied and diverse population of species under his purview, Arthur makes it clear that not everyone is a fan. Enter Black Manta, who bluntly says that he's going to kill Aquaman and destroy his family. (At least he's direct, right?)

Determined to save Atlantis as well as his mother Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), Arthur decides to team up with his half-brother and former enemy — and the antagonist of the first film — Orm Marius, played by Patrick Wilson. Orm's been in hiding and looks a little worse for wear, but he brushes up on his combat skills and stands alongside Arthur as the two learn that Black Manta is in possession of the highly dangerous Black Trident.

Based on this trailer, the movie looks campy and, frankly, pretty fun, so it looks like director James Wan had a good time cooking up this installment in the "Aquaman" franchise. "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" dives into theaters on December 20, 2023.