The All Encompassing AQUAMAN Movie Thread

[Ultimatehero]

Keep in mind that this is a rough draft from years ago so it does not reflect in final quality:

Spoiler

INT. TANAKA AQUARIUM - VIEWING ROOMS - LATER

Arthur bends besides a Dolphin. Sarah in amazement as they interact. Hand pressed again fin, divided by glass.

SARAH
I don’t get it, how do you do that?

ARTHUR
I can understand them. They were all stolen away, forced to leave home because a predator killed their mothers.

Arthur echoes to the dolphin. The dolphin echoes back.

SARAH
What’d it just say?

ARTHUR
Thank you.
(Determined)
I’m doing this.

Arthur’s eyes dart around, taking everything in.

SARAH
What if you’re caught?

ARTHUR
(Flirting)
So, what if I am?

Arthur smirks. Sarah doesn’t fight him on it.

Basically grounding the whole talking to fish angle. It's still possible to throw in a minor joke, but my view on it is - there's a very human core story here and the fish are just as human. And in viewing them in 'captivity' my approach is very slavery-driven as something to jump off of.

 

[aNarcHy2day]

In the new 52 comics the writers don't make fun of Aquaman.

Characters in the story make fun of him. There's a difference, as these characters are clearly shown to be ignorant, uninformed, while the audience is privy to all the information that makes him a badass.

I like it personally, and I think it's unique.

Aquaman by nature ('fish powers') is going to receive flak. When the material doesn't acknowledge it, it's almost like it doesn't even know what people are saying about it, or why they're saying it. That is practically the definition of 'nerdy'.

When it does acknowledge it, it puts it to rest, especially when the characters who make fun of Aquaman are shown to be idiots. It in turn makes those real-life audiences who make fun of Aquaman look like uninformed idiots.

Excellently put! Couldn't have framed the argument any better!

 

[The Guard]

Exactly.

 

[Artistsean]

Very well said. Very wool.

And, again, I am not saying that the characters in his world need to say things like "We just got saved by Aquaman, how embarrassing." (It could be shown a little) But the concept of Aquaman being a heroic figure who risks his life going up against unbeatable odds to save the world and is still treated with a lack of respect.
Without having characters say things to him like "How does it feel to be no one's favorites superhero?" You can still have people treat him like his saving the day is expected of him, maybe just because he has powers. Sort of a reverse of Spider-man's with Great Powers/Responsibility thing. People see him with great powers (and perhaps some think he is lame) so they expect him to save them.
So the concept is still there without resorting to constant jokes (I still think some should be there). But Aquaman is still a working class hero who saves the day and gets no respect, the citizens around him don't appreciate him and take him for granted.
This is a very over generalization, there would be varying degrees from totally ungrateful jerks all the way to grateful people who love Aquaman.

Everyone's attitudes can be implied. Like the group of cops who feel stupid because Aquaman had to save them (showing them acting ashamed and not happy to have been saved), or the average citizen who doesn't know much about Aquaman and assumes he is a half fish man who talks to fish and can't leave the water so what good is he.

I think studios are always looking for something new and different while sticking with things they know the public will respond to. So if they can do a big time DC hero who has a different take than most heroes (a hero who gets no respect) I could see them jumping at the idea.

 

[Airwings]

Aquaman material?

 

[Powerman34]

I still say a buffed up....

 

[JAK®]

It seems to me that article is simply suggesting that instead of trying to tackle the jokes head on, you should just focus on making Aquaman a distinct character like BotB did. And that it was a lack of distinct character that made people focus on his silly powers anyway.

 

[The Guard]

The problem is that treating Aquaman like a joke...sort of rings false.

In the real world, someone who could do the things Aquaman did, who looked like Aquaman did, and who was a freaking king, would be a massive celebrity. I'm sure some people would make fun of him, but in the context of jealousy or just to be different, or there'd be outright fear of the man and his kingdom, not in the sense that society actually thought he was lame.

 

[Rainer7]

The problem is that treating Aquaman like a joke...sort of rings false.

In the real world, someone who could do the things Aquaman did, who looked like Aquaman did, and who was a freaking king, would be a massive celebrity. I'm sure some people would make fun of him, but in the context of jealousy or just to be different, or there'd be outright fear of the man and his kingdom, not in the sense that society actually thought he was lame.

I agree, it doesn't make any sense to have him be considered a joke in the context that the world isn't aware of the Super Friends cartoon. IMO it would be cool to go in the direction that MOS is going where the government would fear the existence of Atlantis because of their denial of its existence.

Honestly I don't read a lot of Aquaman, so I don't know why he would be given a reason to come to surface, which is why I think his introduction would work best in a JLA setting.

 

[Boy Scout]

Keep in mind that this is a rough draft from years ago so it does not reflect in final quality...

So...telekinesis?

 

[Primal Slayer]

The problem is that treating Aquaman like a joke...sort of rings false.

In the real world, someone who could do the things Aquaman did, who looked like Aquaman did, and who was a freaking king, would be a massive celebrity. I'm sure some people would make fun of him, but in the context of jealousy or just to be different, or there'd be outright fear of the man and his kingdom, not in the sense that society actually thought he was lame.

If the general public doesnt really know who he is but just knows that he lives in the sea and can talk to fish, they would make fun of him until they actually encounter him or see hi in action.

 

[Rainer7]

If the general public doesnt really know who he is but just knows that he lives in the sea and can talk to fish, they would make fun of him until they actually encounter him or see hi in action.

I don't think so. Do people make fun of others who talk to their dogs? Do people make fun of the trainers at Sea World who communicate with Dolphins? No. It would be friggin awesome to become aware of a being with such immense influence over sea life. I don't see anything silly about that.

Also take into consideration all of the conspiracy theories in our world about Atlantis' ancient existence, I don't see any reason why this character wouldn't be taken seriously in a universe where the Super Friends never existed.

Check this out, Jackie Chan training a fish:http://youtu.be/eTpKEyqUyP0 [YT]http://youtu.be/eTpKEyqUyP0[/YT]
How impressive is this?

Sure they can take the angle of making fun of him because he lives in the sea, but I just feel like it isn't necessary, because any super hero could be made fun of due to their abilities being misunderstood. I mean really, out of all the major players in the JLA, Batman in my opinion would be made fun of the most as he's just a regular guy in a pretty eccentric costume.

 

[Artistsean]

The idea for the movie isn't that people make fun of him, for the most part, it would be that he doesn't get the appreciation and respect he deserves. Some see him as a threat, if he exists then what else does (like Mutants or Spider-Man), some see he has super powers and just expect him to save them, and others (maybe most) just don't know every detail about him so they assume things like how people talk about celebrities and sometimes have fun gossiping and making up rumors.

The reason he comes to the surface is that he is half human and half Atlantian. His mother came to the surface and fell in love with his father. When he was born he lived for years with his father. Ultimately choosing to return to Atlantis. Perhaps in the movie he returns to the surface because his father has died. I think using his New 52 origin, where he was a public phenomenon as a teen and being forced back into the ocean by the public would be the way to go.
Then when he returns there are some, like cops and government officials, who dislike him sticking his nose into the surface world. Some fear Atlantis, some don't want his help saving the day.
Then some misjudge him, assume he is a fish man (what did you dad sleep with a fish?), or assume he talks to fish and cannot leave the water (so what good is he) or (I thought he had gills) (He looks almost human).
And some just think its his job to save them and aren't grateful.
This is a generalization, but the idea is you can get the whole no respect and jokes about him without having to have characters actually actively make fun of him in the movie.
And it wouldn't be the focus of the movie either. It would just be public reaction, and like Spider-Man in the comics, the public at large doesn't like Aquaman much. So the idea that he is a working class hero who saves the day while still being treated like dirt is still there without characters saying he remember Superfriends?
Remember in our real world he would be a celebrity and we don't always treat celebrities well, sometimes they don't deserve the treatment.

I think it would still work. Put a actual plot in there like his brother or Black Manta attacking and come up with a theme for the actual movie (like a boy returning home or dealing with the loss of his father and becoming a man) and you have a movie.

 

[The Guard]

Yeah, even if a guy was a fishman who couldn't leave the water, I don't think people would make fun of a phenomenon like that once he displayed immense power.

There's a not so fine line between portraying a world that hates, fears and mistrusts Aquaman, and a world that thinks he's a joke.

 

[Ultimatehero]

So...telekinesis?

In the comics upon washing up outside of the lighthouse, he can't be understood because he doesn't talk like a human would. Rather having learned to imitate the sea life around him and his dolphin family. When he washes up on dry land he's a very feral child. It would take a cue from that aspect of the origins. In that him talking to animals in captivity is very akin to talking to an innocent wrongfully locked behind bars. Perhaps seeking scientific help even to see how a child would learn to communicate with dolphins if he was raised by them, perhaps looking at cases of lost children who had to grow up in the wilderness and how that effected them.

If I'm able to gain the kind of trust I see coming from another project that's getting off the ground - I'm very interested in the Peter David and Robert Loren Fleming route. A very mythological 'Star Wars' type of tale.

 

[Artistsean]

In the New 52 they say he doesn't talk to fish, they don't talk back. He pushes them psychically.

This was done to make him less silly. He can't have conversations with fish anymore.

I do like, nay LOVE, the idea that he cannot speak American English. Perhaps when he first comes to land after being away in Atlantis for so long he only speaks Atlantian (like how Young Justice portrays their language or how Lord of the Rings portrays Elfish language) maybe Atlantians have their own language. This would add to Aquaman seeming inhuman and a freak, and not trusted by some on the surface.

In fact I would go so far as to have Atlantis be very much like Lord of the Rings, where they seem separate from our world and have their own language, customs, history, and all that. Its a world of their own down there. That not only gives his other home a different feel, but leaves possibilities for sequels, what if the next movie takes place in Atlantis as Aquaman tries to reclaim his throne that his brother was holding for him and now wants for himself.

 

[Ultimatehero]

He couldn't speak Atlantean because he was discarded as a baby and left upon a rock to die where he was saved by dolphins. The amazing thing is, there are so many versions and variations and adaptations that you can combine them all to create one whole cinematic vision. Yes, communicating with "fish" - if not done right - would come off as odd. But, I'm used to playing around with that. If you ground things in the right way and use enough realism to have it make sense - it will seem realistic. With that said, I'm currently digging the line ".... It's all the same. Though Dolphins are another story." And as for tone I'm seeing something a lot like:



That teaser would be exactly how this take would be seen, up to the one-minute mark. Very real, grounded, tied to the sea, and mythic.

However, Atlantis will indeed have its own language which indeed will create a barrier between him and his home world (at first).

I'd say your final paragraph is very right-on, however I'd also say think more first and third film rather than second. For the second film, a lot of the ideas on here actually gave me a notion of where that arc could head off in which I had no idea about before. I'd also say there's a way to add a 'joke' or 'under-estimating' aspect into one of the introductory action scenes, that I've already hinted to, since fans seem to want that. More costly for the first, yes and no, it'd be more of a challenge visually - but stronger story-wise. And depending on where this other project goes, it could perhaps be seen as possible and intriguing rather than costly.

Although Joseph Campbell would be sensed in each, the overall arc would be:

1 - Call to Adventure (Atlantis)
2 - Road of Trials (Earth (what some on here have called on for the first))
3 - Crossing the return threshold, master of two worlds (Atlantis/Earth)

 

[Artistsean]

OK, I don't think I have ever heard his actual origins then. Not even the variations. I know about parts because of the New 52 (and maybe the New 52 is
rewriting his origin like they did with Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and various others).

But I hazard to guess that the studio will probably edit out the idea of him being raised by dolphins, partly because the idea complicates the story a little.
If they wanted to get straight to the action of him being Aquaman as an adult they might simplify it to something like: His mother and father fell in love,
she from Atlantis and he from the surface. She spent years up top and had a child with him. But their differences drove them apart. She left Arthur with
his father, but Arthur was eventually driven into the sea when the family's scientist friend made it public that Arther was from Atlantis and the public and
media hounded him back into the ocean. Now, years later, Arthur returns to the surface for his father's funeral. (the scientist turning the media on Arthur
comes from the New 52 idea, sending him back into the ocean.)
There is a scene in the comic where he is in his house alone, surrounded by the media and paparazzi and he gets so mad that he kicks down the door
runs outside and jumps into the ocean never to be seen on land again for a long time.
His father's death in the film could be caused by Black Manta.

What should his "costume" look like? Like Wonder Woman I would make everything he wears traditional armor/clothing of his people. And I would have
him wear more than just one costume, but variations on it.

I like the collar here, and the belt.

 

[Ultimatehero]

I'd highly suggest looking into the works by the authors I presented. I think they're the two most developed Aquaman origin stories - I could be wrong though. I'm kind of treating them like my "Batman: Year One" and "The man who falls" while working around a more feasible budget. If anything the dolphins would be taken out or glimpsed over due to budgetary reasons. I'd say the dolphin angle is about 6 pages if I remember correctly... it could be 10 though. But, at the 20 page (minute) mark he dives in to find his home world for the first time in which - chaos ensues. What those writers nailed is the story of an ordinary boy becoming king - it also introduces his main villains in what psychologically makes a lot of sense. And yes, that means Black Mantra's childhood will be tied into Aquaman's just like in the comics. And they are the comics that - in tone - match up the closest with Nolan's Batman and Superman franchises. I'd say the new 52's got the costume down cold.

 

[Hush]

Costume wise I like what he has in new 52 sans gloves.

 

[Boy Scout]

I would combine the New 52 and Young Justice outfits.

The costume in my head (from the waist up) takes 99% of its influence from the New 52. I would just ditch the gloves and substitute gauntlets similar to the ones on the Young Justice outfit. The bottom half is all YJ.

I really hope that the costume designer retains the smooth looks of the scales for the top half instead of opting for a rougher, chainmail esque material. It just won't look as good IMO.

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[Ultimatehero]

I know this might be far out there, but what about using a different form of fabric that we don't have that is similar to a fish's skin?

Spoiler

 

[Airwings]

The gloves need a slick look, and not appear like an unfitting pair of gloves that comes off as a size too big, like Hawkman's armor did in Smallville. It's going to look cheap and low-budget if so, really terrible.

What about the belt and its letter A, how should it look? Does Entourage hold the rights to the design they used for a fake film? Hope not! Bc it was just AWESOME

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

Gauntlets > Gloves I think.

The gloves remind me of Rubber cleaning gloves or something. Either that or they seem too showy.

With both Aquaman and Wonder Woman, I think they should wear a variety of different outfits in their movies. (iconic costume, battle armour, shirtless (in Aquaman's case), etc)

 

[Boy Scout]

I know this might be far out there, but what about using a different form of fabric that we don't have that is similar to a fish's skin?

Spoiler

Yes.

The gloves need a slick look, and not appear like an unfitting pair of gloves that comes off as a size too big, like Hawkman's armor did in Smallville. It's going to look cheap and low-budget if so, really terrible.

I think they should just cut their losses and ditch them entirely.

What about the belt and its letter A, how should it look?

The New 52 has it covered.

Gauntlets > Gloves I think.

Agreed.

With both Aquaman and Wonder Woman, I think they should wear a variety of different outfits in their movies. (iconic costume, battle armour, shirtless (in Aquaman's case), etc)

Eh. I think Aquaman only needs one outfit. If they want to change it to something that signifies nobility or something at the end of the first film or at the beginning of the second, that's fine, but he shouldn't have more than two outfits IMO.

Same for Wonder Woman.