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Jason Momoa Says 'Aquaman' Movie Will Be 'Funny and Heroic,' Takes 'Ballsy Step' to Tap Into Native Culture

Jason Momoa attends the European Premiere of ‘Suicide Squad’ at Odeon Leicester Square on August 3, 2016, in London (Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Jason Momoa attends the European Premiere of ‘Suicide Squad’ at Odeon Leicester Square on August 3, 2016, in London (Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Jason Momoa is ready for a big 2017, thanks to his upcoming parts in The Bad Batch — in which he’ll star alongside Keanu Reeves as a post-apocalyptic biker cannibal (!) — as well as Justice League, which will mark his first proper outing as DC Comics’ oceanic hero, Aquaman. While principal photography has finished on the superhero-team production, Momoa will dive right back into his comic-book duties as star in his own standalone Aquaman film from director James Wan (The Conjuring). And in a recent interview, Momoa’s revealed a bit more about that eagerly anticipated spotlight venture.

Related: Nicole Kidman in Talks to Join ‘Aquaman’ as Hero’s Mother

Speaking to Digital Trends while attending a Valentine’s Day get-together for Ubisoft’s multiplayer video game For Honor, Momoa talked up Aquaman as a unique affair:

“I read the [Aquaman] script and let me just put it this way, I’ve never seen a movie that’s anything like this. It’s going to be a world that you’ve never seen before, which is really cool. We went to space, we traveled all over different worlds [at the movies], but we never went underwater. So it’s just a really cool spin on what’s below and it uses a lot of great movies that I already love — whether that be Raiders of the Lost Ark to Star Wars to Lord of the Rings to Romancing the Stone. It has a lot of really cool adventure, it’s funny and heroic, and there’s a lot of different characters and a lot of different worlds that we get to go to. So I’ve never really seen anything like it.”

Related: ‘Aquaman’ Finds Its Black Manta Villain With ‘Get Down’ Actor

Though he admits that Entourage’s mockery of an Aquaman film has stung a bit, Momoa tells Digital Trends that one of the things that most attracted him to Zack Snyder’s take on the character was that it would delve into his native background:

“The cool thing with Aquaman is how it taps into the native culture and that’s something that we’re only taught a little about, so there’s a lot of interesting things. I really think it’s the right time. It’s really cool. Zack is one of those perspectives on it and DC is really getting behind it. It was a ballsy step. They did it, and I’m extremely happy with the world they’ve created. It’s an honor to be part of this.”

Related: Amber Heard’s Mera, Aquaman’s Butt-Kicking Queen, Surfaces In ‘Justice League’ Art

Given that he’s training hard and, by his own admission, ready to “completely f–k some shit up,” Momoa comes across as fully amped about the upcoming film. To read more of his thoughts on the tentpole release — including how Game of Thrones helped him get the part — head over to Digital Trends. We’ll see him first as the DC hero in Justice League on Nov. 17; Aquaman sets sail in theaters on Oct. 5, 2018.

‘Aquaman’ Director James Wan Says Supposed DC Shakeup Involving Zack Snyder and Geoff Johns Is Not ‘Dramatic’:

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