Aquaman's nemesis announced for next year's film

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Director James Wan is taking charge of the Aquaman ship, steering away from Aquaman's traditionally colorful swimsuits and cartoon-ish behavior and turning him into a modern superhero -- one who is both light and dark.

Wan is tasked with taking Aquaman's colorful underwater world and making it fit into DC Comics' dark and twisty world, which is the same one that houses the Suicide Squad.

The director, who is most known for films like The Conjuring and Saw, is cautioning that just because Aquaman is dark, doesn't mean it's scary.

"Here's the thing that people are getting confused, just because you have scary stories or monsters doesn't mean that it's tonally dark," he said. "Look at Guillermo del Toro, he makes monsters all the time, but his stuff is fun. Tim Burton does it as well. It's about how you do it."

Aquaman's monster looks like its going to be Black Manta, who seeks revenge on Aquaman for killing his father.

Black Manta, like Batman, is not a metahuman but rather draws his power from his suit which gives him the ability to withstand the pressure of the ocean and breathe underwater.

Fans will get their first look at Aquaman, played by Game of Throne's Jason Momoa, in next year's Justice League film. Other key residents of the underwater Atlantis, Mera, played by Amber Heard and Vulko, played by Willem Dafoe, will also appear in Justice League.

Aquaman is currently scheduled to hit theaters in July 2018.