Karl Urban may be making yet another visit to the world of comic book movies. He played the lead in ‘Dredd’ and is currently filming ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ in which he will play villain Skurge. But he is being pursued by Warner Brothers for a role in the James Wan-directed ‘Aquaman’.
Who might he be playing? Well, according to RUMORS, he may be suiting up as Black Manta, the archenemy of Aquaman in the comics.
This is just a RUMOR and the source is a site that… uh… is wrong. Like a lot. They previously reported that Noam Murro (‘300: Rise of an Empire’) was tackling ‘Aquaman’, which as we know isn’t correct.
Also, well… Black Manta is African American. With all the negative buzz on white washing in Hollywood, it makes ZERO sense to cast a Caucasian actor to play an African American comic book character.
At any rate, Black Manta made his debut in ‘Aquaman’ #35 in 1967, created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy. He was featured on the ‘Aquaman’ animated series which first aired in 1968 and was a member of the Legion of Doom, on ‘Challenge of the Super Friends’ in 1978. He was also a major villain on ‘Young Justice’ which co-starred his son, Aqualad who had the power to manipulate water.
He has steadily been depicted as Aquaman’s main antagonist. (In the Bronze Age, Black Manta murdered Aquaman’s infant son.) At one point, he was offered a spot in the Suicide Squad but refused.
The ‘Aquaman’ movie will be directed by James Wan, who also contributed to the script, which was also worked on by Will Beall and Geoff Johns. Jason Momoa stars as the title hero, with Amber Heard as Mera and Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko. All three are expected to also appear in ‘Justice League’. ‘Aquaman’ is slated for release on July 23, 2018.
