James Wan Lands Huge Directorial Endeavors

Man of Steel director Zack Snyder may be handling the next chapter of the newly-created DC shared movie universe – as well as two Justice League movies – but he can’t direct all of the comic book movies that Warner Bros. has planned. Fury director David Ayer is currently filming supervillain team-up Suicide Squad, and Patty Jenkins is set to helm Wonder Woman.

Aquaman, which is set for a 2018 release, has already landed Jason Momoa as its lead and a few weeks ago it was reported that Furious 7 director James Wan was circling the director’s chair, as well as eyeing up Sony’s live-action movie Robotech, based on the Japanese cartoon series of the same name. Those who had assumed that he would either pick one or the other, however, should think again.

THR reports that Wan has now closed deals to direct both Aquaman and Robotech, following the outstanding $1.5 billion box office gross of Furious 7, and will also be overseeing the script for Aquaman’s screenwriter Kurt Johnstad puts it together. It’s little surprise that Wan is so in demand after steering the latest instalment in the Fast & Furious franchise to almost double its predecessor’s performance, and the positive reviews that Furious 7 received should put most Aquaman fans (and Robotech fans, of course) at ease, knowing that these movies are in capable hands.

Aquaman is among the best known DC superheroes and the character has a very long history, but as the name suggests his powers are tied to the ocean and he has the ability to communicate with and control sealife. Momoa will make his first appearance in the role in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Robotech, meanwhile, is a long-running science fiction franchise that began with a 1985 anime series, in which humanity uses recovered alien technology to build giant transforming machines designed for intergalactic warfare.

This news marks the continuation of Wan’s rapid climb into the action blockbuster genre, after fairly humble beginnings directing low budget horror movies. His best known films prior to Furious 7 were Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring, all of which proved to be highly profitable and spawned at least one sequel apiece (many sequels, in the case of Saw). His directing style might not be for everyone, but there’s no denying that Wan knows how to appeal to an audience.

Speaking of those sequels, Wan is currently committed to direct The Conjuring 2: The Endfield Experiment this fall, so don’t expect to see Robotech until at least 2017. If Wan chooses to concentrate on Aquaman first (which is likely, since it’s further along the development road than Robotech), it could be much longer than that.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice will be in theaters on March 25th, 2016; Suicide Squad on August 5th, 2016; Wonder Woman – June 23rd, 2017; Justice League – November 17th, 2017; The Flash – March 23rd, 2018; Aquaman – July 27th, 2018; Shazam – April 5th, 2019; Justice League 2 – June 14th, 2019; Cyborg – April 3rd, 2020; Green Lantern – June 19th, 2020.

Robotech does not yet have a release date.