‘Aquaman’ Producer Says ‘The Trench’ Spin-Off Will Arrive “Significantly” Sooner Than Superhero Sequel

Warner Bros. is not about to let the “Aquaman” universe sit idly by until 2022. While the second film in the Jason Momoa franchise isn’t set to hit theaters for almost 4 years, the studio is hard at work developing its first “Aquaman” spin-off, based on the Trench monsters seen in last year’s film. And according to the producer of the film, it’s likely that we’ll see the spin-off well before the second solo superhero outing.

“We always, even from the early concept art days, loved the idea of a ‘Trench’ movie,” producer Peter Safran said in an interview with THR. “Then, when audiences embraced it in the movie itself the way they did, particularly that ant farm shot where the camera follows the Trench [creatures] following Arthur and Mera down into the deep, we just knew that we had something very special there and we knew what that movie should be. And consequently, I suspect that that’s one that will come out significantly before ‘Aquaman 2.’”

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Thanks to Safran and director James Wan’s experience on “The Conjuring” franchise, both men know the ins and outs of planning spin-offs of a popular film. In fact, outside of what Marvel Studios is doing with the MCU, the ‘Conjuring’ universe is perhaps the most successful cinematic universe out there.

“We’ve definitely taken a page from our ‘Conjuring’ playbook, which is: You’ve got the mothership, which is ‘Aquaman,’ but there are so many great stories to tell within that universe of itself, that Atlantean universe,” Safran explained.

But fans shouldn’t worry that Safran and WB are going to oversaturate the market with underseas adventures.

“[WB exec Walter Hamada], myself and James Wan always shared the same philosophy, which is: You want to do it right,” the producer said. “You don’t want to do it fast. You just want to do it right.”

That being said, Safran is convinced that outside of “Aquaman” and the ‘Trench’ spin-off, there are plenty of other ways the franchise can grow. However, don’t expect one of those to be with a new “Justice League.” According to the producer, the focus now is on standalone tales, and not some big team-up future.

READ MORE: Warner Bros. Executive Talks Limiting The DC Film Continuity & Says The Superhero Films Are “On The Right Track”

“‘Wonder Woman’ has shown what a great stand-alone property that is,” Safran said. “And in ‘Aquaman,’ we feel the same way. We think that there’s a great sequel and beyond to tell. We introduce seven kingdoms of Atlantis, right? James Wan knows the architecture, the armory, the military, the look, the feel, the general vibe of each of these kingdoms, and I’m sure that there will be an opportunity to explore them in some way later on.”

“Aquaman 2” is scheduled to hit theaters on December 16, 2022. “The Trench” still doesn’t have an official release date.