Why Dolph Lundgren's Aquaman 2 Role Was So 'Frustrating'
To close out the long-running DC Extended Universe, Warner Bros. offered moviegoers "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." The film has a lot to keep viewers engaged, such as the comedic dynamic between Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), Black Manta's (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) descent into madness due to the Black Trident, and the villain's attempt to destroy Earth. Minor characters in the franchise get some time to shine as well, such as Mera's (Amber Heard) father, King Nereus (Dolph Lundgren), who aids in Aquaman's mission to stop Manta's evil scheme.
Unfortunately, Lundgren isn't very happy with "The Lost Kingdom" now that all is said and done. During an interview with UPI, he revealed his frustration over the final script, which supposedly cut out more material for him and Heard. "I was a bigger part of it, and Amber Heard was a bigger part of it," he shared, recalling that reshoots and a restructuring of the story diminished their presence in the finished feature. "It was a little frustrating for me. I felt a little disappointed, but life goes on," Lundgren added.
The actor also discussed this prior version of "The Lost Kingdom" in another interview, hinting at a different cut of the film that never made it to theaters.
Lundgren claims a different cut of Aquaman 2 is out there
"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" isn't one of the more talked-about superhero flicks of recent memory, not to mention that it's far from a critical favorite. This can be attributed to many factors, from general disinterest in the DC brand following failures such as "Black Adam," "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," and "The Flash," to the unceremonious end of the DCEU. In the eyes of Dolph Lundgren, though, some of this disinterest and disappointment could have been mitigated had the feature's original cut, which includes more scenes of King Nereus and Mera, made it to the silver screen.
"It was some kind of corporate decision that they try to limit Amber Heard," Lundgren said during an interview with ComicBook.com. "I thought the original script was great and the original cut -– I saw a little bit of it, it was really good, so I didn't see any reason to start reshooting and reshaping the story, which obviously led to disappointment in the moviegoers and not just me."
Perhaps now that DC fans have been alerted to an alternate cut of "The Lost Kingdom," they'll campaign for its release as they did for director Zack Snyder's take on "Justice League" and director David Ayer's still-unseen cut of "Suicide Squad." Sadly for those who want to see it, with the James Gunn and Peter Safran-led DC Universe on the way, the original cut of "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" most likely won't see the light of day anytime soon — if ever.