WATCH: Amber Heard cameo in 'Aquaman 2' trailer
MANILA, Philippines — Warner Bros. has finally released the first official trailer for "Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom," setting up the huge battle of Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry against Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta while settling into his role as the King of Atlantis.
The trailer begins with Arthur reflecting on his life prior to the events of 2018's "Aquaman," now a husband to Amber Heard's Mera whom he has a child with.
Arthur praises his father Tom played by Temuera Morrison for handling a career and raising a son, though Tom points out his job was much less stressful than ruling the Seven Kingdoms of the seas.
Clips of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis are then seen as Arthur continues speaking in a voiceover, until Black Manta appears to exact his revenge on Aquaman whom he blames for the death of his father.
Nicole Kidman's Atlanna tells Arthur Black Manta must be stopped, so Arthur enlists the help of his imprisoned half-brother Orm played by Patrick Wilson, the siblings' bickering moments together the most fun part of the trailer.
Orm points out that Black Manta has grown more powerful because he now wields the ancient Black Trident, a curse to the Seven Kingdoms since the time of King Atlan.
"I don't know what lies ahead, but we can't leave our children in world without hope," says Arthur after underwater battle clips are shown, which Orm follows up with, "You're not as bad at this as you think... If you lead, the Seven Kingdoms will follow."
The trailer ends with more hero shots, the title card, and the release date for December 20.
Heard's Mera is only briefly seen in the trailer — appearing in two wide shots early on at the Curry home and one action shot toward the end — further implying how much more reduced her role is compared to its predecessor.
Director James Wan previously claimed that Heard's reduced role was due to to chemistry concerns with Momoa, although the actress' team believes it is a result of Heard's highly publicized trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp.
Also reprising their roles from the previous film are Dolph Lundgren as Mera's father King Nereus and Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin.
"Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom" faced two postponements before eventually landing on a Christmas 2023 release, but as it stands, promotion will be difficult due to the ongoing Hollywood strikes.
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