Aquaman 2 will officially splash into theaters in December 2022

The direct sequel to Aquaman now has an initial release date of Dec. 16, 2022, Warner Bros. announced Wednesday. According to Variety, the project will go toe-to-toe with Disney, which has an untitled live-action film scheduled for the same date.

It is the second DCEU movie after Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman to receive a standalone sequel. While Batman v Superman is a continuation of the events depicted in Man of Steel, it was more of setup movie for Justice League and isn't typically counted as a true Superman sequel. 

Still, there is no confirmation of James Wan returning as director for Aquaman 2, although it'll be a genuine shocker if he doesn't. A recent report claimed that he was taking a well-deserved break and waiting for the script (written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick) to be just right.

This news comes close on the heels of the first movie surpassing the billion-dollar mark at the global box office and becoming the top-grossing DC movie in history. Domestically, the underwater comic book flick has raked in nearly $333 million, per Box Office Mojo.

Along with the follow-up film, Warner Bros. Pictures is also developing a horror-heavy spinoff that centers on the Lovecraft-inspired Trench Kingdom. By the time 2022 arrives, the studio will have already rolled out Todd Phillips' Joker, Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey, Jenkins' Wonder Woman 1984, Matt Reeves' The Batman, James Gunn's Suicide Squad, and John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein The Flash.