Dolph Lundgren Cast In ‘Aquaman’ As King Nereus
Dolph Lundgrenjust can’t keep away from the DC Comics properties, trading up from ruling a criminal empire onArrowto ruling the high seas in theJames Wan-helmedAquaman. TheExpendablesstar has been cast as the dastardly King Nereus oppositeJason Momoa’s Arthur Curry in Warner Bros.' upcoming DC superhero movie.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Lundgren will be joining theAquamancast and returning to big-screen action movies for the first time sinceTheExpendables 3. Here is Lundgren’s character description per The Hollywood Reporter:
Lundgren will play King Nereus of the aquatic kingdom of Xebel, who claims Mera as his own and wants to kill Aquaman.
Nereus is the leader of the Xebels, an exiled group of Atlanteans that Queen Mera, Aquaman’s wife played byAmber Heard, was once part of. The character is a fairly new addition to theAquamancanon, debuting in 2013’sAquaman #19during the “Death of a King” arc. It’s unclear what part Nereus will play in the film, or if he will be Aquaman’s main antagonist, but it looks like Aquaman will be set upon from all sides in his solo film, with the Ocean Master (Patrick Wilson) and Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) already set to antagonize the King of the Seven Seas.
This isn’t the first time Lundgren has played a DC universe villain, recurring as Russian crime lord Konstantin Kovar on The CW’sArrow.Nor is he a stranger to hamming it up as a baddie in sci-fi spectacles — the Swedish actor has built a 30-plus career playing swaggering villains and establishing himself as an ’80s action icon — which may be why Wan,a proud fanof ’80s action films dripping with machismo, cast him inAquaman.
It’s to be seen, however, whether his turn as the regal King Nereus will beat anything that he did inMasters of the Universe.
The star-studded cast ofAquamanis rounded out byNicole Kidmanas Aquaman’s mother,Willem Dafoeas his friend Vulko, andTemuera Morrisonas his dad.
Aquamanis set to start production this May with a theatrical release ofDecember 21, 2018. Momoa’s Aquaman, who is making waves as a Polynesian version of the typically blonde, white character, will make his big screen debut inJustice LeagueonNovember 17.
