When you look at the uneven history of the DC Extended Universe films, many borrow from the muted aesthetic set by Zack Snyder in Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. One that wasn’t afraid to have a brighter color palette was Aquaman, something that director James Wan was keen to keep for the upcoming sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Considering most of the movie takes place at the bottom of the sea, Aquaman might have been the one DCEU movie that could logically have a darker gradient, but that wasn’t the case. During a panel at CCXP last weekend, Wan explained that the use of bright colors to bring the was part of his vision from the start. As he put it, “All the characters are so larger than life and they’re such colorful characters and we wanted the world to match that.”

Wan assured fans that the upcoming sequel - which is meant to be the final film in the DCEU timeline before James Gunn reboots it with 2025’s Superman: Legacy - would keep the same vibrancy that the original had. “It's not the kind of movie where you want to go dark and gloomy. It doesn’t fit the world we established.” That world, reportedly, will include a larger role for a certain drum-playing octopus, if early reports are to be believed.

We won’t have to wait long to see the bright world of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The film stars Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as they return as Aquaman, Ocean Master, and Black Manta respectively, and will be released on December 22 in the US. You can already pre-order tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out our guides to upcoming movies, upcoming TV shows, upcoming comics, and upcoming comic conventions. If you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we have all the upcoming MCU, upcoming Star Wars, upcoming Star Trek, and upcoming DC movies & TV for you. If you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to all the upcoming superhero movies and upcoming superhero TV shows (and new seasons) as well.