Dolph Lundgren is “disappointed” that “really good” original cut of ‘Aquaman 2’ was axed

nme.com:

Dolph Lundgren has revealed that he’s “disappointed” with the version of Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom that viewers have seen in cinemas.Speaking to ComicBook.com, Lundgren – who stars in the franchise as Nereus, the king of the Atlantean tribe of Xebel, and also the father of Mera (Amber Heard) – said that the original cut and script for the recently released Aquaman sequel was “really good”.Following Amber Heard’s defamation trial against Johnny Depp, the actress’ role in the second Aquaman film was greatly reduced.

As a result, Lundgren’s involvement in The Lost Kingdom was also cut down, which he suggests impacted the final cut of the superhero film.“I just realized that it was some kind of corporate decision that they try to limit Amber Heard and then I’m playing with her dad and went along with it,” Lundgren explained to ComicBook.com.Due to Heard’s reduced role, the film was allegedly reworked.

According to Lundgren, he “didn’t see any reason to start reshooting and reshaping the story.” He continued: “I was just disappointed for the moviegoers, because I thought the original script was great and the original cut – I saw a little bit of it, it was really good, so I didn’t see any reason to start reshooting and reshaping the story, which obviously led to disappointment in the moviegoers and not just me.”Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom released just ahead of Christmas 2023.

It stars Jason Momoa as the titular hero alongside Patrick Wilson as Orm, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, and Randall Park as Stephen Shin among others.In December, Momoa cast doubt over the future of his take on the superhero, saying: “I don’t necessarily want it to be the end… [but] I don’t think it’s really, like, a choice.