The biggest criticism from those who disliked Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was that Zack Snyder’s film just wasn’t very fun. It’s dark (figuratively and literally; hardly anything takes place in daytime), gritty and mostly very serious — save for the occasional wackiness of Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor and Laurence Fishburne’s delightful Perry White. But for those concerned that the rest of the DC movie universe will be similarly dour, take comfort in these words from Aquaman director James Wan.

Grim and gritty is fine for Batman, but with Zack Snyder overseeing the Justice League universe for Warner Bros., there’s been some concern that the rest of the franchise will be just as dark. Last week, Snyder assured fans that Justice League won’t be as solemn as Batman v Superman, and now James Wan tells IGN that his Aquaman movie will be fun. How fun? Well, he says “fun” a total of four times, so we’ll just take his word for it:

The kind of filmmaker that I am…even my darker horror films generally are still very fun and I think that’s important for me and the kind of films I make. Aquaman is a character that a lot of people have made fun of over the years and I just think it’s fun to actually show a really different, cool, badass side to this character, but at the same time, let’s not forget to have fun with it.

Thankfully, Wan’s idea of fun is different from Zack Snyder’s idea of fun. Speaking with regards to a certain, shocking death that rankled a few fans in Batman v Superman, Snyder said he was just trying to “have a little fun” with a character that he didn’t otherwise have room for in the DC movie universe.

Wan is best known for his horror films, and all of them — except for the first Saw movie — have been fun in a sort of devious way thanks to the director’s firm grasp on creating and sustaining tension. And though he seemed an odd choice for Furious 7, Wan delivered a sequel that was ultimately a total blast, but still felt like a James Wan film. It’ll be interesting to see him apply his particular skill set to a superhero flick, especially one built around a character who is often mocked.

That said: Snyder’s DC franchise could use a little more humor and a little less self-seriousness, but that doesn’t mean we want — or expect — the DC movies to mimic Marvel. As Wan says, Aquaman is a character who has a hard enough time being taken seriously. Leaning into grim theatrics seems counterproductive.

Jason Momoa’s Aquaman will appear in Justice League: Part One next November, followed by his solo outing on July 27, 2018.

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