It is a buddy comedy between Aquaman and Orm, and was inspired by the Silver Age of Comic Books with a retro science fiction vibe similar to the works of animator Ray Harryhausen and the horror films of the 1960s, specifically Planet of the Vampires (1965).

Meanwhile, David Kane / Black Manta continues to seek revenge against Arthur for his father's death, working with marine biologist Stephen Shin to find Atlantean artifacts.

When Shin accidentally discovers a cavern in Antarctica, Manta finds a Black Trident that possesses him, its creator promising to give him the power to destroy Arthur and Atlantis.

[46] During the production of Aquaman (2018), star Jason Momoa developed a story pitch for a sequel that he gave to Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich and producer Peter Safran.

[12][49] Momoa and his producing partner Brian Mendoza wrote a 50-page treatment for the sequel, which Warner Bros. bought but did not entirely follow,[14] and the actor was paid $15 million for his involvement.

[51] By the end of January 2019, when Aquaman was set to become the highest-grossing film based on a single DC Comics character, Warner Bros. was in negotiations with Wan to oversee the development and writing of a sequel with the potential to return as director.

Geoff Boucher of Deadline Hollywood noted that Wan had been very protective of sequels to his previous films Insidious (2010) and The Conjuring (2013), and was "deeply invested" in the worldbuilding of Aquaman.

Safran said Wan knew "the architecture, the armory, the military, the look, the feel, [and] the general vibe" of each of the seven kingdoms and wanted to explore them all in future projects.

[56] Patrick Wilson said in November that he had discussed plans for the sequel with Wan and indicated that he would be reprising his role as Orm Marius / Ocean Master from the first film.

[15] Amber Heard debunked rumors in November 2020 that she would not be reprising her role as Mera from the first film following allegations of domestic abuse made against her by her ex-husband Johnny Depp.

[10][15] Tatiana Siegel at Variety reported that Heard had been "nearly fired" from the sequel after the first film's release due to the chemistry concerns, but these plans were abandoned after her ex-boyfriend Elon Musk intervened.

Siegel also reported that the "lack-of-chemistry narrative" had been disputed, citing that Heard had performed a chemistry test with Momoa on the first film and had been cast over two other actresses, including Abbey Lee.

[88][75][86][87] Wan said it was fun designing the lost kingdom of Necrus, detailing it as a society with various vehicles and weapons, such as the one-man operated machines called the Octobots that move in-and-out of water which Orm encounters.

[15] Many of the crew members returned from the first film,[76][15] including Don Burgess as the cinematographer and Bill Brzeski as production designer,[89][76] with the latter serving alongside Sahby Mehalla.

[15] In August 2021, Wan said the sequel was strongly influenced by the film Planet of the Vampires (1965),[92] as well as "old-school Euro-horror" and the stop motion monsters created by animator Ray Harryhausen.

The new company was expected to restructure DC Entertainment and Zaslav began searching for an equivalent to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to lead the new subsidiary.

[105][7] Momoa revealed in July 2022 that Ben Affleck was reprising his DC Extended Universe (DCEU) role of Bruce Wayne / Batman for reshoots on the Warner Bros. Studios backlot in Burbank, California.

[112] A week after starting their new roles, the pair had begun developing an eight-to-ten-year plan for a new franchise called the DC Universe (DCU) that would be a "soft reboot" of the DCEU.

[76] Nearly each frame in the film featured visual effects,[102][105] which were provided by Cinesite, DNEG, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Moving Picture Company (MPC), Scanline VFX,[121] and Rodeo FX.

[140] In the United States and Canada, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was released alongside Migration, Anyone but You, and The Iron Claw, and was projected to gross around $40 million in its four-day opening weekend.

The website's consensus reads: "Jason Momoa remains a capable and committed leading man, but even DC diehards may feel that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom sticks to familiar waters.

She was surprised the film's theme was about climate change and thought Mera's role was "faux-feminist" and narratively contrived, noting Amber Heard's legal controversies.

[151][152] Giving a two-star review, writer Nicholas Barber of the BBC began by expressing his views that Aquaman's box office revenue was the primary reason for this film's existence.

Barber also called the relationship between Arthur and Orm "clichéd," lamented at the complete waste of Kidman's talent, and opined that while most of Heard's scenes had been edited out, the film's "unrelated plot" was such that her absence did not matter much.

Ultimately, he concluded that the film never "attempts anything original or honest" and criticized its "brutal" editing for "rush[ing] through every potentially major event in a blur of montages and voiceovers".

Fear also called the storytelling "curiously thin" and was mixed on its commentary regarding climate change, but appreciated Momoa's performance and thought the film adequately concluded the DCEU.

He enjoyed Momoa's performance and thought it contributed to the film's "fun", but also was not interested in Arthur and Orm's relationship as it "wades through too many clunky moments to reach the few good ones".

Club's Matthew Jackson gave it a B grade, enthusiastically enjoying the film's depiction of Orm and Arthur's relationship, calling that "formula ... absolute gold, both on a set piece and a character level".

[159] Michael Ordoña of the Los Angeles Times felt it highlighted climate change in an "earnest if clumsy fashion" and expressed minor complaints with the absence of physics during CGI-based action sequences underwater.

[160] Meanwhile, Bob Strauss from the San Francisco Chronicle considered it to be a decent conclusion for the DCEU, and added that the story and runtime had been concise and efficient, agreeing with Ordoña's sentiments.