And he reveals that some in the business still fail to appreciate that the global success of Furious 7, which he directed past year, was due in part to its ethnically diverse cast. The Conjuring 2 director James Wan revealed in an interview with Uproxx that he was offered the chance to direct The Flash, but opted for Aquaman instead.
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But he also has sympathy for those caught up in some of the recent “whitewashing” controversies, where film-makers have been criticised for putting Caucasian actors in roles originally intended for Asians. And right now I’m seeing everything as more an outsider looking into this box. “I know there are a lot of superhero movies and stories out there, but I feel like this character is one that is very unique that we’ve never seen before, and for me, that is what’s so exciting that I might have the opportunity to tell a story and create the character I want to create”.
I don’t think their lack of belief hampered their immersion. “It’s kind of embarrassing in that respect”.
“I really wanted to try and bring the kind of respect back to studio horror filmmaking – Jaws, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, The Amityville Horror, these were big studio films. But America is a very diverse country and I think that’s what makes it unbelievable”. Peter David had a great run in the ’90s and Geoff Johns helped revive the character for the New 52, but otherwise, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who could name a great issue or storyline. The film went on to make more than $318 million worldwide and still remains the second-highest grossing original horror movie of all time, second only to The Exorcist. Aquaman is set for release July 27, 2018. I did have the impression that the movie did well there-mainly because lots of Indian fans tweeted to me about it.
Look for the film in theatres this June 10, 2016. So, yes, I suppose it restricts what I do, but that’s not really a bad thing.
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But when movies do not face such constraints, directors have a chance to cast non-whites and Wan thinks they should grab it with both hands. So, it all comes down to the filmmaker’s ability, I think. “It’s kind of silly to not work that out”. “I actually love the fact that Aquaman is this underdog of a superhero”.
