When James Wan announced a horror-tinged, Aquaman spinoff called The Trench that was going to focus on the non-human aquatic beings of the deep, it raised some eyebrows. Who wants to watch a movie about fish people with no real connection to Aquaman? Either way, The Trench was ultimately canceled at WB.
Well, it turns out The Trench was secretly a Black Manta solo movie starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, making its existence more understandable and its cancellation more confusing.
Wan recently posted new Instagram photos of Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta on the set of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. In the comments, one fan asked Wan if there was a chance Black Manta could get a solo series, possibly like Peacemaker on HBO Max.
To this Wan revealed, “I’ll let you in on a secret, the canceled Trench spin-off movie was going to be a secret Black Manta movie.”
A horror-themed Black Manta movie? Now that’s a much more compelling premise than The Trench originally advertised. Especially since Abdul-Mateen II showed off his horror chops in Candyman.
While we won’t get the Black Manta spinoff, the iconic Aquaman villain will return in Aquaman 2 along with several new villains including Stingray, Karshon, and Atlan.
Check out the first behind-the-scenes look at Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom from DC FanDome, or check out IGN’s review of Aquaman for more undersea deets.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.