EXCLUSIVE: Patrick Wilson has been set by Warner Bros and director James Wan to co-star in Aquaman. Jason Momoa plays the title character, and Wilson will play the fish whisperer’s supervillain half brother ORM, also known as Ocean Master, in the DC film that Warner Bros will release October 5, 2018.

The character has some of the sibling-rivalry elements found in Loki. That is Thor’s half brother, who has figured as the heavy in numerous Marvel films, in the form of Tom Hiddleston. ORM is at least as disagreeable and more powerful: In the comics, Aquaman’s human half brother is a rival for the throne of Atlantis and wreaks havoc on the high seas and beneath them when he doesn’t get his way. Amber Heard is playing Mera, Queen of Atlantis.

Wilson, who earlier this year starred in his second Conjuring film, opens Friday in The Hollow Point and plays the romantic rival to Michael Keaton’s Ray Kroc in the upcoming The Founder. CAA and Anonymous Content rep Wilson.

Aquaman first was seen in a cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and plays a major role in the Zack Snyder-directed follow-up Justice League, in which he and other DC Universe heroes face off against the  villain Steppenwolf.

In casting news that no one saw coming from 20,000 nautical miles away, I ordain @patrickwilson73 the Ocean Master. #KingOrm #Aquaman

Here’s what Beall had to say on the tone of Aquaman:

“It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be really fun. What we’ve come up with and James [Wan] especially — he has a really clear idea of the tone he’s going to have, and I think Aquaman is one that’s going to blow people’s minds, not just visually, but I think the story and the scope of it is really great.”

I don’t know that Aquaman has typically been described as a “fun” character, but rather the recipient of folks poking fun at the master of the seven seas and his chats with dolphins. With Jason Momoa in the starring role, the character can automatically be taken a bit more seriously thanks to the actor’s imposing physique; the decision to highlight scale armor and tribal tattoos instead of orange-and-green tights didn’t hurt either. So while Beall can certainly have fun with the writing of Aquaman, modern filmmaking technology can now let audiences in on the action:

“What’s interesting is that you couldn’t have done it before. You know, you could do Batman in 1988, but now you have the technology, and it’s going to be cool.”

After school detention with the new Breakfast Club. With @PrideofGypsies @patrickwilson73 and Amber. #tableread

Director James Wan and the studio have been meeting with numerous actors for the part over the past two weeks.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who starred in Netflix’s Baz Luhrmann show The Get Down, is in early talks to put on his wetsuit for Warner Bros.' Aquaman.

The actor has nabbed the part of Black Manta, one of the DC Comics villains. Director James Wan and the studio have been meeting with numerous actors for the part over the past two weeks, settling on Abdul-Mateen over the weekend. The official offer went out on Monday and the parties are now in talks.

If a deal is made, Abdul-Mateen will suit up as Manta, who first appeared in a DC comic in 1967 and stood out due to his unique battle-costume, trident and deadly schemes.

Aquaman is a massive undertaking for Warner Bros. and the next DC movie to be going before cameras. An April start in Australia is being planned.

Jason Momoa is starring as the half-human, half-Atlantean who is king of the underwater seas. Amber Heard is on board as Mera, his royal love interest, and Willem Dafoe is set to portray Aquaman’s advisor, scientist Dr. Vulko. Patrick Wilson, who starred in Wan’s Conjuring movies, will play Orm, a villain who happens to be Aquaman’s half-brother.

Abdul-Mateen was a finalist for the role of Lando Calrissian in the Han Solo Star Wars spinoff movie thanks to the acclaim he received for his work on The Get Down. Since then, he has booked roles in such high-profile movies as Baywatch, the Dwayne Johnson-Zac Efron action comedy set to open this summer, and The Greatest Showman, Hugh Jackman’s musical take on circus founder P.T. Barnum.

Abdul-Mateen is repped by Gersh.

The actress is in early negotiations to play Aquaman’s mother.

Nicole Kidman may be joining the DC Cinematic Universe.

The actress, who is in the Oscar mix this awards season for her work in Lion, is in early talks to play Aquaman’s mother in Aquaman, the big-screen take of the underwater-breathing comic book superhero.

Jason Momoa is playing the title character in the Warner Bros/DC Entertainment production that James Wan is directing. The studio is cruising towards an April production start in Australia and is starting to round out key members of its cast.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who starred on Netflix’s Baz Lurhmann show The Get Down, is in early talks to play the villain known as Black Manta.

Amber Heard is on board as Mera, Aquaman's royal love interest, and Willem Dafoe will portray Aquaman’s advisor, scientist Dr. Vulko. Patrick Wilson, who starred in Wan’s Conjuring movies, will play Orm, a villain who happens to be Aquaman’s half-brother.

In traditional Aquaman lore, the hero’s mother is Atlanna, who hails from royalty in the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. She escapes her kingdom and falls in love with a lighthouse keeper, giving birth to the boy who will one day grow up to be a bridge between two worlds.

If a deal is made — and it looks optimistic, as Kidman has been Wan's top choice for weeks, with an official offer finally going out on Monday — it will not be the actress' first swim in the DC superhero waters. Kidman starred opposite Val Kilmer in 1995's Batman Forever as Bruce Wayne's love interest, Dr. Chase Meridian.

Kidman currently is on the awards circuit for her role in Lion, the Weinstein Co. drama about an adopted man looking for his family. She also is one of the stars and executive producers of Big Little Lies, HBO’s dramatic miniseries that is set to premiere in February.

Kidman is repped by CAA, Shanahan Management and Media Talent Group.

He will play Aquaman’s human father.

Temuera Morrison, perhaps best known for his work playing Jango Fett in the Star Wars prequels, is in negotiations to join the cast of Aquaman, Warner Bros.’ big-screen take on the classic DC Entertainment underwater-breathing comic book superhero.

The cast so far includes Jason Momoa as the title character, Amber Heard as Mera, Aquaman's royal love interest, and Willem Dafoe as Aquaman’s advisor, scientist Dr. Vulko. Patrick Wilson, who starred in director James Wan’s Conjuring movies, will play Orm, a villain who happens to be Aquaman’s half-brother.

This week, offers went out to Nicole Kidman and Get Down actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and both are now in early negotiations. If deals make, Kidman would play Aquaman’s mother who hails from the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, while Abdul-Mateen will play the classic villain, Black Manta.

Morrison will play Aquaman’s human father. Wan is sitting in the director’s chair and prepping the movie for an April start in Australia.

Morrison can currently be heard (but not seen) in Disney Animation’s Moana, in which he voices Moana’s father, Chief Tui. He appeared in another DC-related movie in 2011 when he played Abin Sur in Warners’ Green Lantern. He has been a fixture in the Star Wars universe since playing Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones and has appeared and voiced various characters in movies, video games and cartoons.

He is repped by JR Talent Group.

amberheard#aquaMan Crush Monday @prideofgypsies #JusticeLeague

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, 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. I think it would be an absolutely amazing game and that would be the greatest character in the world.

Nicole Kidman hasn’t been in a superhero movie since she played Bruce Wayne’s girlfriend, Dr. Chase Meridian, in 1995’s Batman Forever. Since that not-so-beloved movie, the Australian actress has won an Academy Award for her role in 2003’s The Hours, and been nominated for three more, including a supporting actress nod for last year’s Lion. She is currently enjoying overwhelming acclaim for her role as Celeste Wright in HBO’s buzzed-about miniseries Big Little Lies.

So it might not the most obvious choice for Kidman to return to the superhero genre, but she’s about to reenter those waters; she confirmed to EW Friday that she will in fact play Aquaman’s mother, Queen Atlanna — who in the Aquaman comics is the Princess of Atlantis who falls in love with a lonely lighthouse keeper and gives birth to the titular hero — in the upcoming DC film from director James Wan (Insidious).

And she has good reason for doing so.

“The reason why I love [Aquaman] is James Wan is an Australian, and I’ve followed his career since he started. He’s a really good friend of mine, and he offered to let me play Queen Atlanna,” she says. “As soon as he said I could wear mother-of-pearl and be a mermaid warrior, I said I’m done. Please. If there is one thing I have to do in my life, I have to be that. [Laughs] Because, you’ve got to have some fun.”

Dolph Lundgren is making his return to studio movies by diving deep into the world of comic book films.

The veteran action star, whose credits range from Rocky IV to the recent Expendables movies, has joined Aquaman, Warner Bros.’ big-screen take on DC Comics’ underwater-breathing superhero.

James Wan is sitting in the director’s chair for the big-budget tentpole, which is eyeing a May production start in Australia.

Jason Momoa is starring as the title character, and the film's call sheet includes Amber Heard as Mera, Aquaman's royal love interest; Nicole Kidman as Aquaman’s mother; and Patrick Wilson as Orm, a villain who happens to be Aquaman’s half-brother.

Willem Dafoe is playing Aquaman’s adviser, scientist Dr. Vulko; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is classic villain Black Manta; and Temuera Morrison is Aquaman’s father.

Lundgren will play King Nereus of the aquatic kingdom of Xebel, who claims Mera as his own and wants to kill Aquaman.

Lundgren made his acting debut with the James Bond movie A View to a Kill (1985), but punched his impression on pop culture playing Soviet boxer Drago in 1985's Rocky IV.  Among his other notable roles were playing He-Man in 1987’s Masters of the Universe and playing Marvel Comics antihero Frank Castle in 1989’s The Punisher.

Starring roles in movies such as 1992’s Universal Soldier became more of a rarity as studios changed the model for action pics in the early 2000s, but appearing alongside other action vets in Sylvester Stallone’s Expendables movies raised Lundgren's profile once again.

He takes center stage in the video for the new Imagine Dragons song "Believer," and he starred in an ad for Nat Geo’s Brain Games TV show.

Lundgren is repped by Gersh, manager Craig Baumgarten and Bloom Hergott.

BURBANK, Calif. — Principal photography has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “Aquaman,” helmed by James Wan (“The Conjuring” films, “Furious 7”). Jason Momoa stars in the title role, returning to the character he plays in this fall’s “Justice League.”

The film also stars Amber Heard (“Justice League,” “Magic Mike XXL”) as Mera; Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (“Platoon,” “Spider-Man 2”) as Vulko; Temuera Morrison (“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” “Green Lantern”) as Tom Curry; Dolph Lundgren (“The Expendables” films) as Nereus; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (upcoming “Baywatch,” Netflix’s “The Get Down”) as Black Manta; with Patrick Wilson (“The Conjuring” films, “Watchmen”) as Orm/Ocean Master; and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (“The Hours,” “Lion”) as Atlanna.

The film is being produced by Peter Safran, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Rob Cowan, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.

Wan’s team behind the scenes includes such frequent collaborators as Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess (“The Conjuring 2,” “Forrest Gump”), his five-time editor Kirk M. Morri (“The Conjuring” films, “Furious 7,” the “Insidious” films) and production designer Bill Brzeski (“Furious 7”). They are joined by costume designer Kym Barrett (“The Matrix” trilogy; “The Amazing Spider-Man”), along with Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Charles Gibson (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2”) and VFX supervisor Kelvin McIlwain (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise).

As is fitting for the king of the sea, the shoot will take place mainly in locations spanning the stunning Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia, with extensive filming to be accomplished at Village Roadshow Studios. The production will utilize the facility’s sprawling backlot and all nine VRS soundstages, including its newest, Stage 9, the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Filming will also take place in Newfoundland, Sicily and Tunisia.

An icon for over 75 years, Aquaman is known by fans of DC Comics as the ruler of Atlantis but committed to protecting the entire globe, both land and sea.

Currently set for a 2018 release, the film is based on characters from DC.

Over a year of prep, 6 months of training, & countless hrs of denying myself pleasure, aka donuts, has led to this moment: Day 1.  #Aquaman

Meet Mera. Day 1 #Aquaman

Lady MERA swept in from the sea. First day with the exquisite Amber Heard. (Shot by the talented @jasinboland)