Aquaman: King Of Atlantis Trailer: HBO Max Animated Miniseries Makes A Wild, Goofy Splash

HBO Max has treated us to some first-look footage at "Aquaman: King of Atlantis." This animated miniseries was initially announced in early 2020, long before the pandemic upended, well, everything, and even before HBO Max officially launched. But the three-part event has "Aquaman" director James Wan on board as an executive producer, which is kind of a big deal. But, based on this teaser, this is not going to be a retread of the movie. Not by a long shot. Let's take a peek.

We previously got a promo image for the show that gave us some sense of what to expect. But this is far more revealing. As we can see, this is, for lack of a better word, far more silly than 2018's "Aquaman." One might say it has an "Adventure Time" look to it, which is by no means a bad thing. But much of the DC animated stuff is pretty serious — and also often quite good. Though "Teen Titans Go!" has also proved that the animated side of DC can have some fun effectively as well.

Here is the synopsis for "Aquaman: King of Atlantis":

The three-part animated mini-series event begins with Aquaman's first day on the job as king of Atlantis and he's got a LOT of catching up to do. Luckily, he has his two royal advisors to back him up – Vulko, the scholar, and Mera, the water-controlling warrior-princess. Between dealing with unscrupulous surface dwellers, elder evils from beyond time and his own half-brother who wants to overthrow him, Aquaman is going to have to rise to the challenge and prove to his subjects, and to himself, that he's the right man for the trident!

There was a time not all that long ago when Aquaman was, in many ways, the laughingstock of the DC universe. But DC's attempts to make the character cool in the comics eventually influenced what happened on the screen when Jason Momoa landed the role of Arthur Curry in Zack Snyder's "Justice League." The rest is history at this point. Momoa starred in a solo film released in 2018, directed by Wan, which stands as the highest-grossing DC movie in history. A joke no more.

With that, Warner Bros. has been working to expand the character's presence. Not only do we have this animated show on the way but Wan and Momoa are currently filming "Aquaman 2," AKA "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." We were recently treated to a glimpse of Aquaman's new suit, as well as Orm's sexy new look.

Aside from Wan, Michael Clear ("Annabelle Comes Home"), Rob Hackett ("Swamp Thing") and Sam Register ("Teen Titans Go!") serve as executive producers on "Aquaman: King of Atlantis." Victor Courtright ("ThunderCats Roar!") and Marly Halpern-Graser ("Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") serve as showrunners and co-executive producers.

"Aquaman: King of Atlantis" Chapter 1 arrives on October 14, 2021 on HBO Max.