Jason Momoa is set to appear in the DC Extended Universe for the first time this year, as Aquaman in the forthcoming Justice League film. The Hawaiian actor has been trying to build a career for himself since his first appearance on screen in Baywatch Hawaii in 1998 when he was 19 years old. Despite having major roles in Game of Thrones and Conan the Barbarian, Momoa has yet to make it to the level of Hollywood A-lister. Could that be about to change this year when he becomes the first ever actor to play Aquaman in a live action movie on the silver screen?
Although Momoa hasn’t appeared as the protagonist in a great number of films to date, he is a familiar face to many. The 37-year-old played a pivotal role in the first season of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, where he portrayed the great Khal Drogo. Drogo is a powerful warlord and the leader of a Dothraki army. He marries Daenerys Targaryen, and the original plan is for the two of them to invade Westeros and reclaim the Iron Throne for Daenerys. Things don’t go as smoothly as that, though, and Momoa’s character ends up dying from a devastating battle injury. While some actors such as Emilia Clarke and Kit Harrington have become major household names from the series based on George RR. Martin’s books, Momoa never got the chance. Khal Drogo sadly doesn’t even appear in games made about the show such as Game of Thrones the Telltale Games Series or the Game of Thrones slot from Microgaming, which is playable at Casumo with a £1200 welcome bonus.
However, Momoa may soon see one of his characters immortalised in the game world, though, as iGaming developer Playtech recently signed a deal with DC to make online slot games based on characters from the DC Extended Universe. This could help get Momoa’s name to a wider audience of gamers. As for whether Justice League could be Momoa’s major break, it does seem as though the studio has grand plans for the character. In all of the teaser trailers for the movie there has been a heavy focus on Aquaman, showing some pretty cool clips of the King of Atlantis.
Momoa has a great opportunity to become a fan favourite in Justice League before he features in his standalone film entitled Aquaman in 2018. The movie is being directed by James Wan who recently directed Furious 7 and The Conjuring, and will also feature Willem Dafoe and Nicole Kidman. It will mark the first standalone film of a DC character since Wonder Woman this year, and the studio will be desperately hoping that they can emulate the success of the Patty Jenkins movie. The origin story of the Amazonian Goddess raked in $781 million worldwide, making it the second-highest grossing DC film yet after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice which earned $868 million globally. Wonder Woman received excellent reviews, and has a rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. If DC can follow that up with another critically acclaimed movie in Aquaman, then they could emerge as a serious challenger to Marvel’s crown.
The other new characters to be introduced in Justice League are clearly not considered by DC to be as important as Aquaman. Cyborg, played by Ray Fisher will have to wait until 2020 to appear in his own movie, while a standalone flick for Ezra Miller’s Flash is yet to be confirmed. After Aquaman, the next two confirmed movies from DC are Shazam and Wonder Woman 2 in 2019. Dwayne Johnson will play the starring role in Shazam, which is about the anti-hero Black Adam, and Gal Gadot will reprise her role in the sequel to Wonder Woman.
The Marvel extended Universe has turned the likes of Chris Hemsworth who plays Thor, Robert Downey Jr. who plays Iron Man, and Chris Evans who plays Captain America into major household names and much-sought after Hollywood actors. There is a strong chance that appearing as Aquaman in the DC Universe will have exactly the same effect on Momoa’s career. And for many fans of the actor, they will believe it has been a long time coming.
Image Source: Justice League via Facebook
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