James Wan teases Aquaman 2 and Salem’s Lot at CinemaCon

Warner Bros. presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas has been absolutely packed, so it’s a good thing our own Chris Bumbray is there to give us the scoop. There’s already been plenty of superhero content revealed over the last two hours but you can’t leave Aquaman out. Jason Momoa wasn’t present as he’s busy filming Fast X, but he sent along a video clip promising that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be amazing. He then introduced James Wan, who presented a sizzle reel of new Aquaman 2 footage.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II returns as Black Manta for the Aquaman sequel and seems to be the big bad this time around. James Wan said that although David Kane/Black Manta still a human being, he’s been imbued with some supernatural power that’s slowly taking him over. With Atlantis under threat yet again, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is forced to call upon Patrick Wilson’s Orm to help.

James Wan is also producing the upcoming Salem’s Lot movie, which has been written and directed by Gary Dauberman. The Stephen King story has long been one of Dauberman’s favourites and the trailer screened at CinemaCon seemed similar to It, which Dauberman co-wrote. The film is set in the past and although we didn’t really get to see too much of the vampires, the trailer looks very creepy and horrific. Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick) stars as Ben Mears, the writer who returns to his hometown in search of inspiration, but Bumbray said that Bill Camp (Joker) seems to be the scene-stealer. As he should.

Salem’s Lot will hit theaters on September 9, 2022, while Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will premiere on March 17, 2023.