Jeff Nichols Might Be 'Aquaman' Director

Newly crowned King of the Seven Seas Jason Momoa may have some thoughts on whom he'd like to direct his movie, but it seems Warner Bros. has some others. The studio reportedly has Jeff Nichols lined up to helm Aquaman, due out in 2018. If true, that'd be quite a change of pace for Nichols, who is currently better known for indie dramas like Take Shelter and Mud. Learn more about the possible Aquaman director after the jump. 

Like so many other news items to hit over the last few weeks, this one comes from the massive Sony email hack. According to The Daily Beast, Michael De Luca (co-president of production for Columbia Pictures) mentioned to Amy Pascal (co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment) in an email dated October 21 that Nichols was helming Aquaman.

We don't know for sure whether De Luca's comment is true. Warner Bros. has not announced a director for the movie, and a private email from an executive at another, competing studio is hardly ironclad confirmation of anything. Moreover, since the message was sent several weeks back it's possible Nichols was in the running at one point but isn't anymore. Or even if he is, there's still time for things to change as the movie isn't due out until July 27, 2018.

As a career move for Nichols, though, Aquaman could make sense. He's gotten some great notice in the indie world with Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, and Mud. But his next film, Midnight Special, puts him a bit outside his comfort zone — it's a sci-fi drama about a boy with special powers. If Nichols wants to kick his career up to the next level, a big-budget superhero movie would be one way to do it.

Aquaman the character is expected to appear in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and both Justice League movies, due out in 2017 and 2019. Momoa has promised that his Aquaman "will be a badass" but details have been pretty scarce otherwise.