Variety notes that numerous media outlets in Hong Kong, where Kidman was filming the Amazon series
Expats, have reported
her return in Aquaman 2. While the stories focus primarily on supposed tension on the
Expats set that Amazon denies led to Kidman leaving early, the online news publication
HK01 reports that Kidman will soon travel to the U.K. to film for the DCEU movie.
Oriental Daily also reported that Kidman will again be portraying Aquaman's mother.
Warner Bros. has yet to respond to these reports, but should they prove true, it is worth wondering why the company has yet to announce Kidman's appearance in
Aquaman 2. In the original film, Atlanna is found alive after having presumably been sacrificed two decades prior and reunites with Arthur's human father, allowing him to ascend to the Atlantean throne. Wan has said
Aquaman 2 is more complex than its predecessor, so it's possible there's a more disruptive role planned for Atlanna this time around. It also could be that Warner Bros. was simply waiting until the busy Kidman had wrapped to confirm she would take part.
In refuting the
Expats news, an Amazon spokesman claimed Kidman "
always had other projects she was committed to," suggesting her shooting schedule has been penciled in for some time. It's possible the
Aquaman 2 team is trying to keep her inclusion a secret to better prevent a very active DCEU fanbase from guessing the plot in advance, but it's just as likely Kidman could show up for a third-act cameo, taking advantage of that moment when the viewer is pleasantly surprised to see a recognizable face. How Warner Bros. chooses to respond to the reports should offer a clue, even if that response is to completely ignore them.
