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Warner Bros. is eager to set sail with Aquaman 2. Warner Bros. has been courting the filmmaker and will likely need a whale-sized deal to lock him in. Wan is the only filmmaker who has delivered a billion-dollar moneymaker for two different studios (his Furious 7 revved up $1.5 billion for Universal in 2016) but don’t expect him to ship out from the Aquaman franchise. The filmmaker is deeply invested in the world creation aspect of Aquaman and sees the deep, blue sea as a fantasy setting that can be cinematically comparable to Middle-earth, the Jedi galaxy or the wizarding world of the Harry Potter films. There’s a lot of ocean floor and undersea kingdoms left for Wan explore.

Wan’s spokesman says the filmmaker is taking a much-needed break right now and studio sources say that a deal won’t happen until Wan sees a seaworthy script. The project is in development mode until that happens. Another wrinkle is Wan’s first-look deal with New Line. But it would be a shocker if Warner Bros. doesn’t get Wan back on board the same way they locked in director Patty Jenkins for the Wonder Woman sequel. After watching Disney-owned rival Marvel Studios fill the sky with superheroes there’s just too much pressure on Warner Bros. to catch up for the studio to allow a proven success to get off the hook.

There may be plenty of fish in the sea but Wan is a rare savant when it comes to delivering high-return international hits. Born in Malaysia and raised in Australia, he is a citizen of the world in his filmmaking sensibilities and Aquaman has proven to be a powerhouse export. Only 28% of the film’s box office haul has been in the domestic marketplace. No other DC Comics movie has traveled as well or as far in foreign markets.

The filmmaker minted his Hollywood reputation within the horror genre by displaying a golden (and grisly) touch with hard-R hits with lean budgets and fat profits. His feature debut, Saw, for instance, was filmed in 18 days for $1.2 million — it went on to generate $103 million in global box office and six sequels for Lionsgate. Wan didn’t direct any of those Sawsequels, however, and while he profited from them as a producer he also blanched when the franchise veered from his original vision in ways both large and small.

Lesson learned, Wan stayed on as the director for the sequels to Insidious (2011) and The Conjuring (2013). At New York Comic Con in 2012 he acknowledged the protective spirit he felt toward his franchise launches: “I think the sequel to Insidiousis kind of my reaction to Saw, where for my own reason I wasn’t as involved in the sequels, and so I felt with Insidious, I think it would be good to shepherd it and keep it more in track to the vision I had when I made the first film so that it doesn’t detour too far. I never set out to make sequels to any of my films I direct. If they happen, that’s great because that means people out there love it and they want more of it. But I always felt with Insidious we created this really interesting world that we can explore more…”

Wan spent years working on Aquaman including 172 days on principal photography with stops in Queensland, Morocco, Italy and Canada. It’s hard to imagine him walking away now. Last month I asked him about the sequel and he demurred. “I’m superstitious about that,” he said.

Wan clearly set the stage for the sequel in the first film by introducing Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the Black Manta in a prominent, compelling and open-ended sequence which did plenty to whet fans appetite for his rematch with Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman.

After Wan’s Furious 7 success, Warner Bros. was so eager to work with the filmmaker on a superhero film that they offered him his pick of properties. The director considered The Flash project but in the end chose Aquaman for its (literally) immersive fantasy potential and also because he liked the challenge presented by the much-maligned hero’s pop-culture standing. For years Aquaman has been an orange-shirted punchline (thanks to Entourage, SpongeBob SquarePants, Robot Chicken, etc.). No one is laughing anymore. And this weekend when the King of Atlantis surpasses the Dark Knight of Gotham City, orange will officially be the new black for Warner Bros.

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‘Aquaman 2’: ‘Game Of Thrones’ Alum Pilou Asbaek Joins Jason Momoa In Sequel

EXCLUSIVE: With production gearing up, Warner Bros., DC Entertainment and James Wan have found Jason Momoa his first new co-star for highly-anticipated sequel to the global hit Aquaman. Sources tell Deadline Pilou Asbaek, best known for his role as the villainous Euron Greyjoy in Game of Thrones, is in talks to join Aquaman 2 opposite Momoa who is set to return in the title role.

Warner Bros. had no comment.

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