First Look At The New Aquaman TV Series

HBO Max just gave fans a quick first look at their upcoming James Wan-produced animated series Aquaman: King of Atlantis.

By Rick Gonzales | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

HBO Max just gave fans a quick first look at their upcoming James Wan-produced animated series Aquaman: King of Atlantis. Seriously, do not blink.

This first glimpse at the new animated series came during WarnerMedia’s sizzle reel for their new “Redraw Your World” campaign, which the multimedia giant used to debut their “more than 300 hours of original footage” that will be shown on the HBO Max and Cartoon Network channels beginning this year.

The brief glimpse comes toward the end of the sizzle reel, showing Arthur Curry/Aquaman and Mera. Aquaman jumps into the frame, while Mera is already poised for action. Curry appears with a wild green beard and hair as Mera has her trademark devilish smirk and bright red hair, somewhat resembling their comic book characters.

Immediate fan reaction included a comparison to the popular Thundercats Roar cartoon, as some felt the look of Aquaman and Mera closely resembled Thundercats.

When WarnerMedia announced Aquaman: King of Atlantis, it was said to be a three-part animated series. The series begins with Arthur’s first day on the job as King of Atlantis but since he’s been away for his aquatic kingdom for some time, he has a lot of catching up to do. Luckily for Curry, he has Mera – the warrior-princess who controls water – and the scholar Vulko as his royal advisors by his side to help him rule. Even with their assistance, Aquaman will continue to deal with the untrustworthy surface dwellers, elder evils, and once again, his half-brother who wants nothing more than to overthrow him. Arthur must rise to each and every challenge to not only prove to his subjects but himself that he is the right man to hold the trident and call himself King of Atlantis.

Along with Wan executive producing through his Atomic Monster banner, Wan is including Michael Clear, Rob Hackett, and Sam Register from the company. Victor Courtright and Marly Halpern-Graser will serve as showrunners and co-executive producers with Warner Bros. Animation also producing. Aquaman: King of Atlantis is based on the classic comic book DC characters created by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris.

Sarah Aubrey, head of original content for HBO Max, said this upon the announcement of the new animated series via Variety, “This DC property is a fan-favorite rich with well-known characters and dynamic storylines. On the heels of Warner Bros. Pictures’ box office smash hit, we are certain Aquaman: King of Atlantis will be an exciting addition to our already robust slate of kids and family programming.”

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James Wan’s animated Aquaman series is not the only animated DC project in the works for HBO Max. WarnerMedia has also brought in Greg Berlanti to develop two series, one titled Strange Adventures and the other an untitled Green Lantern project.

Strange Adventures has been described as a superhero anthology series that looks to feature many characters from across the DC universe. It will be a one-hour drama that explores intersecting lives between superheroes and ordinary humans. Details for Berlanti’s Green Lantern series are currently under wraps.

“Both of these original DC properties we’ll be creating for HBO Max will be unlike anything seen on television,” said Berlanti via Variety. “An anthology series of cautionary tales set in a world where superpowers exist, and, in what promises to be our biggest DC show ever made, we will be going to space with a Green Lantern television series, but I can’t reveal any more about that just yet.”

As of right now, it’s unclear when we can expect Aquaman: King of Atlantis will debut, but with Cartoon Network already advertising the new show, it seems likely it could debut at some point in 2020.