Aquaman, believe it or not, is one of my favorite DC superheroes. Anyone who says all he can do is talk to fish has never read an Aquaman comic in decades, because he is, simply put, a badass. So who better to portray him on the big screen than Jason Momoa, who graced television as Khal Drogo in ‘Game of Thrones?”
Momoa spoke with The Daily Beast about taking on the role, and why it’s important to him. The version of Aquaman appearing in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” will not be the blonde white guy from the comics, although he will still remain as powerful as his comic version.
When speaking to The Daily Beast, Momoa explained: “Aquaman is especially cool because, being a Kanaka Maoli – being Hawaiian – our Gods are Kanaloa and Maui, and the Earth is 71 percent water, so I get to represent that. And I’m someone who gets to represent all the islanders, not some blond-haired superhero. It’s cool that there’s a brown-skinned superhero.”
The casting of Momoa as Aquaman provides a nice addition of islander representation for the Justice League-to-be. Aquaman’s race is not an important part of his character nearly as much as his half-human, half-Atlantean heritage, so making him Hawaiian does not change the core of his character.
It’s clear that Momoa also has respect for the character, and the heroes of the DC universe as a whole. “It’s awesome as an actor to know what your future is going to be,” he explains, “Because I have children and I’ve busted my ass to put food on the table. It’s awesome knowing that I’m going to be in ‘Justice League’ because my son is the biggest Batman fan and my daughter loves Wonder Woman. It’ll be cool for them to see me in something, because they’re not going to be watching ‘Game of Thrones’ or ‘Red Road’ anything soon, but now they can see Daddy kicking ass in IMAX.”
Jason Momoa certainly seems to have what it takes to bring Aquaman to the big screen. Aquaman is already super strong, tough, can swim at super speeds, commands all oceanic life, and rules Atlantis, but now he can also tear out his enemies tongues through their throats.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” hits theaters March 2016, followed by “Justice League: Part One” in 2017, “Aquaman” in 2018, and “Justice League: Part Two” in June 2019.
Source: Jason Momoa Talks Aquaman and Superhero Diversity
Jason Momoa Talks Why Aquaman is Important to Him and his Family
Jason Momoa Talks Aquaman, Superhero Diversity, and Khal Drogo’s Possible ‘Game of Thrones’ Return