James Wan

There’s been a lot of chatter surrounding recent changes at Warner Bros. regarding their DC Extended Cinematic Universe. Following the underwhelming debut of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice this past March, despite racking in $871 million worldwide, reports surfaced about executive shake-ups at the studio. Warner established a dedicated division called ‘DC Films,’ which is now spearheaded by DC Comics chief creative officer Geoff Johns. But that didn’t seem to be the last of it. Last week, the New York Post reported that Warner Bros. would be undergoing even more management changes over the next six months.

The rumors of James Wan’s production squabbles on the set of Aquaman have been greatly exaggerated. An item about the DC superhero film universe posted over the weekend on Birth.Movies.Death cited “multiple, reliable sources” as claiming that director James Wan has been having some misgivings about the process, and may depart the project entirely if the friction between him and studio brass doesn't clear up. Writer Devin Faraci’s exact words were “a tremendous amount of trepidation,” speculating that the Jason Momoa-led Aquaman needs Wan much more than he needs the movie, having already laid claim to Warner Bros.’ summer slate with The Conjuring 2 and Lights Out, the latter of which he produced.

It’s difficult to ignore rumors when they’re so consistent — and persistent. Following the negative critical response to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which didn’t perform as well as Warner Bros. expected at the box office, reports have surfaced that there’s some turmoil at the studio regarding the future of the Justice League franchise. Last night, news broke that Seth Grahame-Smith exited The Flash solo movie over “creative differences,” and a subsequent rumor seems to support the idea that WB’s DC plans aren’t going very smoothly.

The biggest criticism from those who disliked Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was that Zack Snyder’s film just wasn’t very fun. It’s dark (figuratively and literally; hardly anything takes place in daytime), gritty and mostly very serious — save for the occasional wackiness of Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor and Laurence Fishburne’s delightful Perry White. But for those concerned that the rest of the DC movie universe will be similarly dour, take comfort in these words from Aquaman director James Wan.

Here, take this sizable grain of salt because you’ll need it for today’s latest rumor. Although Warner Bros. only recently hired screenwriter David Leslie Johnson to re-team with director James Wan on Aquaman, a new report suggests that we may already know the identity of the film’s main villain — and it’s probably not who you were expecting.

Warner Bros.’ DC movie universe is beginning to really take shape, with Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice set to introduce us to a couple of the new heroes in the franchise, including Jason Momoa’s Aquaman. James Wan has been tapped to helm the aquatic hero’s solo movie, which will be scripted by a writer with whom Wan is already quite familiar.

Furious 7 is the fourth highest grossing movie of all time. Ever. In film history. Number four, after Avatar, Titanic, and The Avengers. $1.5 billion at the box office and counting. A lot of the credit for that success goes to its longtime stars and creators who’ve kept the franchise running for 15 years through highs and lows. But some of the credit also goes to James Wan, who stepped in to direct the film after longtime franchise steward Justin Lin left the series, and who managed to keep the movie and its crew together following the tragic death of star Paul Walker. He delivered a really satisfying Fast & Furious that simultaneously served as a lovely tribute to Walker. It was an incredibly difficult job, and Wan nailed it.

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