Warner Bros. recently shifted the planned release date for James Wan’s Aquaman, pitting it against Sony’s animated Spider-Man movie on December 21st, 2018. Now, WB has added some more muscle to the DC Films blockbuster by casting Drago himself, Dolph Lundgren.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lundgren will play King Nereus, ruler of the underwater kingdom of Xebel. In the comics, Nereus becomes enthralled with Mera (Amber Heard), the love of Aquaman (Jason Momoa). To claim Mera for his own, he sets out to kill the rival ruler of Atlantis.
Lundgren himself is no stranger to the comic book world. He portrayed the title character in the best-forgotten snooze fest that was 1989’s The Punisher and more recently co-starred on The CW’s Arrow as Russian crime boss Konstantin Kovar. His addition to Aquaman brings the film’s total bad guy count to three; Lundgren joins Patrick Wilson (Orm, Aquaman’s villainous half-brother) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta) as actors who will be gunning for Aquaman’s trident next winter.
Aquaman will also star Willem Defoe (Dr. Vulko), Nicole Kidman (Aquaman’s mother, Atlanna), and Temuera Morrison (Aquaman’s father, Thomas Curry). Production is expected to begin this May, but considering the film’s release date has shifted three times already, we’ll believe it when we see the first splash.
