Aquaman 2: King Nereus actor Dolph Lundgren blames corporate as he confirms disappointing cuts to his role

With Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, the DCEU ended in a disappointing way as the film opened to negative reviews and an underwhelming box office. Directed by James Wan and starring Jason Momoa, the film was the final outing of the highly divisive film universe, and it looks like behind the scenes it went through some of the same issues that have plagued DC films for a while.

In a recent interview, actor Dolph Lundgren who starred in Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom confirmed that various cuts were made to his role and that the film released in theatres wasn't the original vision of director James Wan. Showcasing disappointment behind the decision, Lundgren blamed corporate for how the film ended up turning out.

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Dolph Lundgren disappointed by the cuts made to Aquaman 2

Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom had a rough journey overall. From facing multiple delays to going through major reshoots and being embroiled in controversy, the film was fighting a losing battle as the public's perception of the DCEU was in an extremely bad light. Now, following the film's release on December 21, 2023, actor Dolph Lundgren has confirmed that the version of the film playing in theatres was heavily trimmed down.

In an interview with ComicBook.com this week, Lundgren - who plays King Nereus in the film - confirmed that the version of Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom playing in the theatres wasn't James Wan's original cut that he had shot. Saying that he felt bad for the fans, he also confirmed that in the original cut, he had a larger role which was significantly trimmed down for the theatrical release.

During the interview, he said:

"I just realized that it was some kind of corporate decision that they try to limit Amber Heard and then I'm playing with her dad and went along with it."

He added:

"I was just disappointed for the moviegoers, because I thought the original script was great and the original cut -- I saw a little bit of it, it was really good, so I didn't see any reason to start reshooting and reshaping the story, which obviously led to disappointment in the moviegoers and not just me."

During the buildup to the release of the film, actress Amber Heard was caught in a public trial between her ex-husband Johnny Depp. With the controversy only growing more online, rumors started to emerge that her role in Aquaman 2 was set to be reduced.

However, director James Wan later did clarify in an interview with Empire that the reduction of Heard's role had little to do with her public trial and rather was due to the story focusing more on Arthur Curry and his brother Orm. This particularly could have led to Lundgren having a shorter role in the film. It particularly would have been even more of a heartbreak to the actor as he recently was diagnosed with cancer, but still decided to star in the film.

Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom also had a longer than usual pre-production, as the film did go through many reshoots due to the dwindling nature of the cinematic universe. This wouldn't be the first film to not have its director's vision fully realized on the big screen, as director Zack Snyder faced the same issue in the past with his cut of Justice League.

You can check out Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom as it's playing in theatres right now.