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[LordOfLore]

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While discussing his role as death god Ryuk in Death Note at the junket for the Netflix movie on Friday, Dafoe spilled a few extra details about his Vulko, a scientific advisor to Atlantis in the comics. The actor said he’ll only make a cameo in Justice League, but that he’ll play a more essential role in the Wan film. “Aquaman is the important thing,” he said. Dafoe went on to tell me that his version of the Atlantean won’t completely resemble the character in the DC Comics:

There’s been some adjustments. Not even adjustments – it’s like anything, you use the source material and something is born from that. But I don’t really look like he does in the comic, and his role is slightly different. He is an advisor, but he’s also sort of a mentor to Aquaman.

A little background: In the comics, Vulko is an advisor to the Atlantean superhero. But throughout the comics Vulko also has an on-and-off again alliance with Aquaman, and at one point he even opposes the superhero’s rule. There’s a chance Wan’s version of the character might reflect this. When I asked Dafoe whether Vulko is a good guy in Aquaman, he said yes, but hinted that there’s some room for variation:

I’d say so. If you want to get down to those kind of categorizations. I don’t need to, I know why people do it because we’ve got to describe things sometimes. Everybody’s a mix, [laughs] good and bad.

As far as the character’s look, when Vulko was first introduced in 1967’s Brave and Bold #73 he was illustrated as buffed and balding with dark brown hair. But for Aquaman #35, artist Nick Cardy redesigned Vulko as much older with white hair, winged out on the sides and a fancy Colonel Sanders-style ‘stache. But based on a leak of Dafoe’s Funko Pop character toy from earlier this week, we have a better idea of how different his Vulko will be. The toy shows Dafoe’s scientist sporting a full head of long brown hair, no facial hair, and armor. However Dafoe looks in Aquaman, that long flowing hair is certainly going to look cool underwater.

The Death Note actor told me that the majority of his scenes were shot underwater. He echoed some of Wan’s previous comments about the technical complications of shooting underwater, but gave a little more insight on how the shooting process works:

Most of my scenes are underwater. Some are not. So much of it, because we’re talking, and shooting underwater is a lot of ways impractical because you’re limited to what you can do with sets. It’s more about shooting them dry for wet, and then the effects do certain things to give the water feel. But we aren’t doing the scenes underwater, but we are in harnesses and on wires. There is movement. It’s not like were all sitting around pretending were underwater like this [stands up still], we’re swimming around, we’re moving. So that should be really beautiful.

We won’t get to see Dafoe underwater until Aquaman hits theaters on December 21, 2018, but we’ll get our first look at Vulko in Justice League on November 17. And before that, Dafoe lends his voice to the eerie death god of Death Note, hitting Netflix August 25.

 

[Imperfected]

This continues to sound like such a terrible idea.

It's either going to be an amazing technical triumph that inspires Disney to go all Live-Action Little Mermaid, or the second coming of Green Lantern.

 

[lightskintwin]

This continues to sound like such a terrible idea.

It's either going to be an amazing technical triumph that inspires Disney to go all Live-Action Little Mermaid, or the second coming of Green Lantern.

Disney is already going all Live Action Little Mermaid. They don't need any inspiration for it. LOL

 

[Volimar]

No Black Manta?

This continues to sound like such a terrible idea.

It's either going to be an amazing technical triumph that inspires Disney to go all Live-Action Little Mermaid, or the second coming of Green Lantern.

You're nuts. Aquaman will be amazing.

 

[PanSexual_Peacock]

No Black Manta?

He's in it. Yahya Abdul-Mateen is playing him.

 

[Kenzodielocke]

I wish they had released that teaser they showed at SDCC.

 

[eizarus]

This continues to sound like such a terrible idea.

It's either going to be an amazing technical triumph that inspires Disney to go all Live-Action Little Mermaid, or the second coming of Green Lantern.

Yeaaaah..... No. This is one of the ones that is expected to turn out good by a lot of people from what I can see.

 

[Volimar]

He's in it. Yahya Abdul-Mateen is playing him.

I thought so. So much to keep track of in this golden age of comic book movies.

 

[LotusHD]

Only DCEU movie I'm excited for, hope it turns out well.

 

[Sojgat]

This continues to sound like such a terrible idea.

It's either going to be an amazing technical triumph that inspires Disney to go all Live-Action Little Mermaid, or the second coming of Green Lantern.

From a technical standpoint or just in general? Either way, this is the most excited I've been for a Superhero movie since Blade 2.

 

[Imperfected]

From a technical standpoint or just in general? Either way, this is the most excited I've been for a Superhero movie since Blade 2.

A technical/directing standpoint. Dafoe's done some pretty zany stuff in his career, if you actually put him in a situation that makes him blink you're probably going to be causing some serious problems for actors that aren't quite as... inventive as he is.

 

[Sojgat]

A technical/directing standpoint. Dafoe's done some pretty zany stuff in his career, if you actually put him in a situation that makes him blink you're probably going to be causing some serious problems for actors that aren't quite as... inventive as he is.

Yeah, there is a chance all that stuff could go very wrong, but the little bit of underwater stuff we've seen in the JL trailers looks good so far. They haven't shown any talking yet though.

 

[traveler]

This continues to sound like such a terrible idea.

It's either going to be an amazing technical triumph that inspires Disney to go all Live-Action Little Mermaid, or the second coming of Green Lantern.

Disney's inspiration for Live Action Little Mermaid isn't this; it's the truckloads of cash all/most? of their live action remakes to date have pulled in. I don't think they'll pay too much attention to Aquaman's success in that regard.

 

[lightskintwin]

Disney's inspiration for Live Action Little Mermaid isn't this; it's the truckloads of cash all/most? of their live action remakes to date have pulled in. I don't think they'll pay too much attention to Aquaman's success in that regard.

Plus they're already in the process of making it with Alan Menken and Lin Maunel Miranda making new songs for that adaptation.

 

[traveler]

They got LMM on it?! I'll stop the non aqua an talk here, but now I'm hyped for the Little Mermaid.

 

[barit]

I still think this could work pretty great. Aquaman was the most interesting part of the JL trailers so far ^^

 

[lightskintwin]

They got LMM on it?! I'll stop the non aqua an talk here, but now I'm hyped for the Little Mermaid.

only 2 months ago.

Lin-Manuel Miranda working on new Little Mermaid music with Alan Menken

 

[Falchion]

I'm excited to see their take on this.