Aquaman will be getting ready next year to take center stage in the DCEU and one of the film’s stars had some strong words to say about the DCEU and the directors at the helm of these movies. Actor Patrick Wilson, who will be playing the movie’s villain Orm/Ocean Master believes that the directorial choices reflect a boldness from the studios and creative heads.
In an interview with Metro, Wilson stated that he is impressed with the directorial choices that the DCEU has made for recent entries. He stated:
“As they say, there are a lot of different ways to skin a cat. Or to make a movie and a franchise. I can only speak on behalf of being an actor and having a relationship with the directors. As a fan, I sit back and see the choices that [Warner Bros makes] for directors and they are very strong, focused, individual directors and that takes confidence. It’s easy to hire someone that is just a yes man. And they’re certainly not, which is very exciting.”
Aquaman’s director is James Wan, who has a background in horror movies such as Saw and The Conjuring, and from all accounts everything has been going well during shooting considering Wan has to film a movie that mostly takes place underwater. Wan has also received praise from some of the other actors on set about the challenges in filming a movie like Aquaman.
William Dafoe, who plays Nudis Vulko in the movie, had this to say:
“James Wan’s great. He’s great. I mean, because of the underwater [aspect of the movie] it’s very complicated technically. But you see it in his films, he’s very detail-oriented. He figures the cut. He’s very precise. He’s a real gifted filmmaker.”
It sounds like things are coming along well for the Aquaman film but what about the rest of the DCEU? The real mastermind behind the DCEU is of course Zack Snyder, who has been both cheered and jeered for his handling of the movies he’s directed so far (Man Of Steel, Batman vs. Superman, Justice League).
Of course who can forget the cinematic emancipation of Patty Jenkins as director of Wonder Woman earlier this year. Critics and audiences roared with approval over Wonder Woman with both Jenkins and the film’s star Gal Gadot become cultural icons seemingly overnight.
Let us not forget David Ayer and the critically assaulted Suicide Squad, which was derided by its lack of focus, direction and poor editing. Did win an Oscar though (albeit for a technical award).
What do you think about the directorial choices in the DCEU so far? Who would you like to see direct a movie in the DCEU? Do you think DC actually has independent directors or are they beholden to the studio heads? Let us know in the comment section.
