Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer: Missing Amber Heard and other takeaways

The DC superhero film, a sequel to the 2018 hit, arrives in cinemas on December 22

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Photo: Warner Bros Picture

The trailer for the next Aquaman film has just been released.

The superhero adventure features the return of Jason Momoa as the protector of the seas and is a sequel to 2018's Aquaman.

The one-and-a-half minute trailer shows the return of most of the characters from the first film, including Nicole Kidman as Atlanna and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the villain Black Manta. Despite being credited as returning in her role as Mera, Amber Heard does not show up in the trailer at all.

In the sequel, Aquaman faces the daunting task of balancing his duties as the king of Atlantis as well as being a member of the Justice League alongside Batman and Superman.

Here are the key takeaways from the trailer.

Meeting Aquaman’s son

The trailer begins with Arthur Curry (Momoa) speaking to his young son, teaching him how to use his powers of communicating with sea creatures.

It then shows Curry cradling the young boy, setting up the high-stakes protection duty of the film. Arthur tells his son that he cannot wait to introduce him to all the majestic creatures of the planet.

The return of Black Manta

The trailer also shows Black Manta, a villain determined to take revenge for the death of his father who was killed by Aquaman.

The character looks stronger and more prepared than before, as he has assembled followers who will aid him in his mission.

Then we see that Black Manta has obtained an ancient power in the form of the black trident, an object that contains evil magic that can help him devastate Atlantis.

The end of the bloodline

The trailer then concludes by showing that Black Manta has kidnapped Aquaman’s son and hurt his father.

This means Aquaman will need the help of all his allies in Atlantis and elsewhere to defeat Black Manta and return his son safely.

The trailer shows large, bombastic fight scenes taking place underwater.

There are also appearances by characters from the Justice League and it looks like Ben Affleck’s Batman could make a cameo.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is in UAE cinemas on December 22