HBO Max will be premiering what may be its strangest offering of the fall in three days. A three-part Aquaman miniseries was announced earlier this year, but most people assumed it would take itself seriously. Assume again!
The entire opening scene to the surprisingly bizarre Aquaman: King of Atlantis was posted by HBO Max today in anticipation of its debut three days from now. Click if you dare.
If you watched the first trailer, you already know Aquaman has trouble fitting into his awkwardly shaped seahorse throne, but his troubles are just beginning from there. The series takes place one day after Arthur ascended the ranks by beating his half-brother in combat, exiling him. But he apparently didn’t exile Ocean Master hard enough, because the guy simply walks into the court hours later, re-challenging Aquaman for the throne.
Aquaman is like “yeah, I’m king now, I don’t have to do that.” Then he finds out refusing a direct challenge counts as a forfeit, making Ocean Master king again. Following this discovery, Aquaman simply whomps Ocean Master over the head with his trident, knocking the man out, which counts as a defeat and re-kings Aquaman.
“It…really shouldn’t work like this,” he mutters.
Cooper Andrews (The Walking Dead) steps in for Jason Momoa in this production. Gillian Jacobs (Community, Netflix’s LOVE) voices Mera. Thomas Lennon is playing Vulko, and Dana Snyder (best known as Master Shake from Aqua Teen Hunger Force) is Ocean Master.
James Wan, the director of the Aquaman movie, is overseeing the whole production. If you’re saying right now “I don’t believe you, how could Wan himself be involved in something this goofy?” then…clearly you haven’t seen Malignant yet.
The first chapter of Aquaman: King of Atlantis, “Dead Sea,” will premiere on HBO Max October 14, with the next two, “Primordious” and “Tidal Shift” scheduled for October 21 and 28 respectively.
