According to Wan, the reshoot conversations around “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” have been particularly out of proportion with reality. “We probably did seven or eight days, which is nothing for a movie of this size,” Wan explained, noting that interesting things can come from reshoots — like “The Nun” movies, a product of his own reshoots on “The Conjuring 2.” (“I built an entire franchise from a reshoot!” Wan pointed out.) While it’s pretty much par for the course for directors to want their shoots to sound like they went well regardless of any behind-the-scenes drama, Wan addressed the multiple reshoots on the “Aquaman” sequel by making a good point about the practicalities of scheduling superstars. “It was just spread out because it’s so hard to get your actors back once you’ve finished the initial shoot,” he told Empire.
That makes total sense. Production initially wrapped in December 2021, and since then, star Jason Momoa has worked on “Fast X” and filmed a series in New Zealand. Elsewhere, Amber Heard (Mera) became the subject of severe public scrutiny during a high-profile court proceeding involving her ex-husband Johnny Depp, Patrick Wilson (Orm) made his directorial debut with “Insidious: The Red Door,” Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta) was cast in “Wonder Man,” and Nicole Kidman (Atlanna) had some half-dozen different projects in the works. Getting any number of these people on the same soundstage again after the initial wrap seems like it would’ve been a challenge.