The outlet reports that early box office tacking gave Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich “enough confidence to begin talks on a sequel.” Those tracking numbers have the film opening at $65 million domestic, which would be the lowest opening for one of these new DC films, but also a promising start for A. A “silly” new superhero not named Superman or Wonder Woman and B. Opening in the midst of the holiday season. Indeed, the film’s December release date means WB will be paying close attention to the film’s performance in the weeks following its opening, since families tend to flock to theaters throughout the Christmas/New Year’s frame.

Wan’s spokesman says the filmmaker is taking a much-needed break right now and studio sources say that a deal won’t happen until Wan sees a seaworthy script. The project is in development mode until that happens. Another wrinkle is Wan’s first-look deal with New Line. But it would be a shocker if Warner Bros. doesn’t get Wan back on board the same way they locked in director Patty Jenkins for the Wonder Woman sequel. After watching Disney-owned rival Marvel Studios fill the sky with superheroes there’s just too much pressure on Warner Bros. to catch up for the studio to allow a proven success to get off the hook.

Almost two months after opening its billion dollar hit Aquaman, Warner Bros. is starting to put the pieces together for a sequel. The studio has tapped David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who co-wrote the first movie, to begin penning a new installment, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

James Wan, who helmed the first movie and worked with Johnson-McGoldrick on The Conjuring 2, is making a deal to return as producer, as is Peter Safran. It is unclear at this stage whether Wan would return as director.

Aquaman opened in December to $67.8 million and has gone on to earn $1.12 billion globally. It is Warner Bros.' first DC movie to pass the $1 billion mark since 2012's The Dark Knight Rises.

The hiring of Johnson-McGoldrick finally gets a sequel into development, with a wait this long after a successful release a rarity in modern Hollywood. In some cases, studios begin to develop follow-ups even before a franchise picture rolls out. In many cases, it could be the Monday after a massive opening or that first week that studios and filmmakers come together to talk sequel.

But in Aquaman’s case, Wan was in no rush to jump back in (and still remains noncommittal to directing at this stage), and the studio did not want to pressure him or his collaborators.

Breaking non-Cohen news: AQUAMAN 2 gets a release date...Dec. 16, 2022.