Word surfaced that Warner Brothers was planning to craft a spinoff movie, ‘The Trench’ based on the carnivorous amphibious monsters in ‘Aquaman’. This picture is said to be a lower priced horror movie, that would not include Jason Momoa or any of the rest of the ‘Aquaman’ cast, but would still take place in that universe. It’s an intriguing proposition, but one that hasn’t been officially announced by Warner Brothers, so it’s just a rumor at this point.
Usually, when such news bubbles to the surface, the studio or creatives attached will come forward to debunk it if it’s false. Well, ‘Aquaman’ director James Wan has spoken up on Twitter, but he didn’t exactly say ‘The Trench’ wasn’t happening.
During the early stages of preproduction, I fell in love with the Trench and its designs… and secretly hoped to explore this world further/more. (Now, I’m not confirming or denying this project ;)
— James Wan (@creepypuppet) February 9, 2019
Yep, wink emoji. That means that this is totally happening! (Kinda kidding.)
Writer Geoff Johns created The Trench with artist Ivan Reis to kick off the new ‘Aquaman’ comic book series when it relaunched as part of DC’s New 52 relaunch initiative, and it was clear from the start that these flesh-eaters were made with an eye on them headed to the big screen. Unfortunately, because the ‘Aquaman’ movie had to establish Aquaman (Momoa) and his entire mythology, The Trench were relegated to a small role, blocking Arthur from the wormhole he had to enter in order to retrieve the Trident of Atlan that he needed in order to claim the throne from his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson).
Though it’s kind of a letdown that ‘The Trench’ won’t include Aquaman, it should be interesting to see a lower-tier movie set within the larger big-budget DC film universe, but that isn’t a proper “superhero movie.” If it works, that could open the door for Warner Brothers and even Marvel Studios to craft lower-priced films that flesh out these worlds without having to make massive tentpole blockbusters every time.
I personally think this is a great idea, and am really looking forward to seeing how it plays out, especially if horror vet Wan (‘The Conjuring’, ‘Insidious’, ‘Annabelle’) actually directs it. How do you feel? Are you interested in a possible ‘Trench’ movie?
