With James Gunn officially announcing Jason Momoa being cast as the DCU

‘s Lobo, it’s interesting to see how soon these plans were being formed. James Gunn took the reins at the newly established DC Studios alongside his co-chief, Peter Safran, back in October 2022. Since then, the wind down of the DCEU has been slow, with the final Aquaman film releasing after the announcement.

However, even before the DCEU was laid to rest for good, a lot was happening behind the scenes. Gunn announced details about the first chapter of the DCU, and a slate of projects that were in the works. Since then, Creature Commandos launched the DCU, and Superman is set to kick off the theatrical side of things. But it’s clear a lot is still under wraps.

Jason Momoa’s DCEU Casting Appeared To Complicate The Chances Of His Major DCU Fancast

It Didn’t Make Sense For Aquaman To Also Be Lobo

While Momoa has been a fancast for Lobo from a very early stage, the actor’s prominent position in the DCEU appeared to be a stumbling block to that being possible. However, the fact that Momoa was also a fan of the character, and he had the right appearance, meant that these hurdles could be overcome. After all, Momoa appears to be a perfect fit for playing the character, and while his time as Aquaman was instrumental in the DCEU, there are currently no plans for Aquaman in the DCU announced.

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On top of this, the DCU appears to have largely cast off the characters from the DCEU, with many of the actors being let go from their roles. While there is obviously a new Superman, and the DCU is set to bring in a new actor for the roles of Batman and Wonder Woman, there is nothing announced regarding a new Flash or Aquaman. And even if there are plans to bring these characters into the DCU soon, Momoa has clearly moved on from the role of Aquaman.

James Gunn Revealed Momoa Playing The DCU’s Lobo Was “Always Part Of The Plan”

James Gunn Has Had A Vision For The DCU For A Long Time

In a recent social media post, James Gunn shed light on Momoa reaching out about playing the part of Lobo as early as the day it was announced he was heading up the new DC Studios. He included a screensH๏τ of their brief exchange when announcing that Momoa would officially be playing the role in the DCU, but in February 2025 at a press event which Screen Rant attended, Gunn recalled their conversation and indicated that:

Jason [Momoa] was literally the first text I got after this was announced. His text was – lemme see if I can remember it. I think it was “Lobo, baby!” All in Capital Letters with 10 million exclamation points. Essentially, I was like, “I think that’s a pretty good idea.” So, it was always part of the plan. I had no problems whatsoever with him having played Aquaman before.“

Evidently, Jason Momoa felt strongly about playing the part, and Gunn was on board with the idea. The screensH๏τ from Gunn included above provides even clearer context as Gunn was able to track down the exact exchange and include it in the announcement. The fact that this became a part of the plan so early on also highlights that there could be a lot more that is currently deemed part of a concrete plan, despite not being widely announced to the public.

The Plans For Jason Momoa To Become The DCU’s Lobo Make His Final Period As Aquaman Even Weirder

Aquaman’s Final Outing Already Felt Pointless With The DCEU Dying

But it does also add another layer of oddity to the entire process of making Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and its release. The movie was in the works for many years, and due to various reasons, it was pushed back repeatedly. But ultimately, the film aired a significant time after the announcement of the newly formed DC Studios. Gunn himself promoted the film and while it was clear that this was a part of a dying universe, it confused fans what the stakes or value of the film would be, considering the story would not be continued.

And seeing as Gunn and Momoa were already behind the scenes setting up Momoa’s time as Lobo, it makes Aquaman’s final outing seem hollow. Don’t get me wrong, I am excited to see Momoa step into the role of Lobo, but it just feels like the entire changeover was messy, and it hasn’t helped the reputation of DC in films. It remains to be seen if DC Studios can deliver on their next big projects, but Gunn has got plans, and Jason Momoa will certainly be a part of it all going forward.

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