Aquaman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name . It is intended to be the sixth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by James Wan , with a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall , from a story by Wan, Beall, and Geoff Johns . It stars Jason Momoa as the title character, with Amber Heard , Willem Dafoe , Patrick Wilson , Dolph Lundgren , Yahya Abdul-Mateen II , and Nicole Kidman in supporting roles. It is the third live-action theatrical film featuring the title character, following Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017), and will be the first full-length feature film centered around the character. In Aquaman , Arthur Curry, the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis , must step forward to lead his people against his brother, Orm , who seeks to unite the seven kingdoms against the surface world.