Nicole Kidman is largely known for her dramatic roles in films such as ‘The Beguiled’ (her most recent), ‘Lion’, ‘Rabbit Hole’, ‘The Others’ and ‘Moulin Rouge!’ as well as as well as ‘The Hours’ for which she won her first Academy Award. Rarely has she ventured into the realm of blockbusters, but it happens occasionally. Of course, there was her role as Doctor Chase Meridian, the arm candy for Val Kilmer in his only turn as the Dark Knight in ‘Batman Forever’… which might be why she stays away from popcorn flicks. But it’s been a couple decades (during which time, she hasn’t aged a day), so she is once more venturing into the world of DC Comics in next year’s ‘Aquaman’. Kidman is playing Atlanna, the mother of Jason Momoa‘s titular hero.
Previously, she had been in talks to play Wonder Woman’s mother Queen Hippolyta but had to back out due to a scheduling conflict. (Connie Nielsen wound up playing the part.)
Kidman’s Atlanna follows the trail blazed by Hippolyta by being a super mom not named Martha and hopefully not wearing a pearl necklace.
What else can we expect from her role? Considering the film is still over a year away from release, Kidman didn’t reveal too much, although it’s likely there wasn’t a lot to reveal considering that her role will probably be small.
She did give a bit of an idea into the filming of her scene, saying “I got to be a mermaid, I got to be a queen, I got to wear a crown. I got to lie on a rock with my hair strewn, and blood. And I kind of liked it.” She then clarified that her part wasn’t actually a mermaid, “I didn’t have a tail… I got to wear a crown, I have a particular way of looking.”
She giggled quite a bit when discussing the role, so obviously it was a lot of fun and probably a welcome departure from her usual deadly serious roles. You can watch the interview clip below:
Nicole Kidman on her role in #Aquaman: “I got to lie on a rock with my hair strewn and blood and I kind of liked it” #THRatTIFF pic.twitter.com/jWG9LIjt2B
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 9, 2017
In the classic Aquaman origin, Atlanna died shortly after giving birth to Arthur, her son with human lighthouse keeper Tom Curry, who buried her at sea.
However, her story was later revised so that she wasn’t actually dead, but in a deep coma. By the time she awakened on the ocean floor after Arthur had grown up and become Aquaman, she had gone insane. Thinking he was an abomination in the eyes of God, she assembled an army of Aquaman’s greatest foes including Black Manta, The Fisherman, Ocean Master and The Shark among others to attack him. At the end of the battle, she realized the error of her ways and died in an explosion after urging Arthur and his half-brother Orm/Ocean Master to set aside their differences.
After DC rebooted its timeline with the New 52, this storyline was revisited, with a powerful warrior take on Atlanna who was once again out to get her son.
Along those lines, Kidman has stated that her character will be “a warrior.”
It’s entirely possible that director James Wan will pull an Ares and slip her in at the end of ‘Aquaman’ as a surprise twist villain. The film has already netted two of the Sea King’s greatest foes, Black Manta played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ocean Master/Orm played by Patrick Wilson (although he may not adopt the Ocean Master identity in this movie). But ‘Wonder Woman’ boasted three villains as well, without feeling overstuffed, so it’s entirely possible that ‘Aquaman’ could as well.
How large a role should Atlanna play in ‘Aquaman’? Should she simply give birth and depart? Or would you like to see a villainous take on the character?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter/Twitter
