If you were hoping that the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be either a saving grace or a positive farewell for the DC Extended Universe, then the recent allegations and claims that have been reported on by Variety will no doubt look to leave you worried.
Because Variety has published a report that states the filming of the movie was a very challenging situation, with Jason Momoa alleged to turn up to set drunk, and dressed as Johnny Depp to get under the skin of Amber Heard while she was facing allegations of her own on the lead up to her massively public trial against former husband Depp.
The report then goes on to state that insiders and other spokespeople have stated that Momoa did not show up to set drunk, nor dress as Depp, but rather that like Momoa often does, dressed in a "bohemian style".
To add to this, Warner Bros. actually wanted to cut Heard from the film altogether after the original debuted back in 2018 due to lack of chemistry with the cast, but Elon Musk, Heard's former boyfriend stepped in and threatened Warner with a "scorched earth" letter that promised to "burn the house down" if the actress did not return for the sequel.
If all of this wasn't enough, it's mentioned that the movie has a budget of $215 million, which considering its marketing effort has been minimal at best so far, likely means that the film needs to earn around $250 million at the box office to break even. As The Flash and Shazam! Fury of the Gods only raked in $400 million between the two of them at the global box office, this might be a challenge, even for a sequel to a billion dollar earning film.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom debuts in cinemas on December 20, 2023.