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When modern audiences think of Aquaman, they immediately picture Jason Momoa’s larger-than-life portrayal in the DCEU. But long before Momoa took the throne as Arthur Curry, there was another Aquaman in Hollywood—Alan Ritchson, best known today for his role in Reacher. During the height of Smallville’s success, there were serious talks about launching an Aquaman spin-off series starring Ritchson, who had already portrayed the character on Smallville. Despite multiple attempts to bring the project to life, the standalone Aquaman TV show never got off the ground.
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They say everybody's good at something. Me? I talk to fish.
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The King of the Seven Seas holds dominion over all the oceans of the planet
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They call this noble vigilante the Aquaman. And in 2006, he was being set up to become
0:14
the biggest superhero the small screen had ever seen. That is, until there was a morass
0:19
of political infighting that caused the role to change hands, multiple times
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Here's some information on Aquaman, just in case you don't know anything about him. Oh yeah, he's a strong swimmer, right
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Today, you probably know Aquaman as this. Permission to come aboard? Sure, at one point in time, your average civilian probably thought of Aquaman as the lamest member of the Super Friends
0:38
Like it or not, the previous versions of Aquaman have been officially supplanted in the cultural memory by the DCEU's muscle-bound hunk
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No one has ever respected me. Oh, no, man, you're totally powerful and cool
0:52
The world just needed something, you know. It's hard to argue with a man when he comes to the table with a billion-dollar solo film
0:58
and a slightly less successful sequel. As much as we all love Jason Momoa
1:02
we're here to talk about the first live-action adaptation that Arthur Curry ever received
1:07
one that happened on Smallville, of all places. Where did Bobby Baywatch come from
1:12
I don't know, but he can sure swim fast. On October 20, 2005, Smallville's fifth season aired an episode titled Aqua
1:20
The story in question featured Clark and a mysterious swimmer named A.C.
1:24
played by future Jack Reacher actor Alan Richson, who we would all soon come to discover was secretly Aquaman
1:30
Last year, he broke into the Ocean Village Resort. What did he steal? Eight dolphins
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He busted open an underwater fence and released them back into the ocean. The plot of the episode features Arthur, A.C. Curry
1:41
coming to Smallville in order to stop an underwater weapons project that is being developed by LexCorp
1:46
Overall, the episode is a really fun, classic superhero yarn, Or at least it was by 2005 standards They were still figuring some stuff out
2:03
Surprising to almost everyone involved, the episode received massive ratings, becoming the highest rated episode
2:08
in the entirety of Smallville's fifth season. At this time, Alan Richardson was a complete unknown
2:13
in the acting world. He was a model and one-time American Idol contestant
2:17
prior to embodying everyone's favorite aquatic-themed superhero. After the success of Aqua, the CW quickly pivoted into developing a TV show based on the once and future King of Atlantis
2:35
The eventual show would have been a reimagining of the Aquaman mythology. Despite rumors at the time, the show was not going to be a continuation of the Smallville incarnation of the character
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It was going to be its own self-contained universe. Again, because it was 2006 and they were still figuring out exactly what people wanted in their superhero media
2:53
Development for the spinoff series was fast-tracked and initially Ellen Richson was asked to return as Aquaman
2:59
When talking to the Inside of You podcast, Richson even detailed how Warners and the CW were so confident in him being the next big thing
3:06
that they paired him with a studio representative to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't get into trouble
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These people were like prepping me for like the biggest show on TV. I'm like, okay
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On January 24, 2006, the WB and UPN jointly announced they were going to shut down operations as networks and combine into a new business venture later that year
3:24
This would create the CW. Aquaman seemed to be a prime new show to launch the network, but the new executives were unconvinced that Richson had the capabilities to lead the show, despite having performed admirably in the Smallville episode
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Thus, he received a phone call that they were not going to ask him back for the filming of the pilot
3:41
They were instead going to attempt to find a new leading man. The president of the UPN had taken over and he looking at this roster of shows the slate and going who the hell that guy Despite seeing over 400 candidates for the role Smallville showrunners Miles Miller and Alfred Goff just couldn find anyone else they were excited about So they went back to Alan Richson
4:01
At the 11th hour, he received a phone call from the producers telling him that Passion's star
4:05
and future Smallville Green Arrow actor, Justin Hartley, was available. And they were going with him
4:10
for the titular Oceanic protagonist. And I was like, I don't know who that is, but great
4:15
You know, good for you. Yes, Alan Richson was fired. Twice. Now that the path to the screen was so rocky
4:20
is the pilot for the show any good? Well, the VFX definitely could have been better
4:25
We open on a young Arthur Curry and his mother flying a plane, returning to Florida from a scientific expedition
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As they're radioing back home, giving status updates to Arthur's adopted father
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played by Lou Diamond Phillips, a massive portal opens up, causing their plane to crash
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From there, we jump 10 years later, where we meet an adult, if not a bit wayward version
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of Arthur who lives on a boat, who owns a local tourist trap restaurant and spends his free time committing acts of rebellion against the system
4:51
like freeing dolphins from captivity. Ving Rhames plays McCaffrey, a mysterious man
4:56
who shows up and informs Arthur of his lineage and connection to the lost city of Atlantis
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In total, the pilot feels a little lopsided. It wants to be an origin story, but when we meet up with Arthur as an adult
5:07
he already knows how to use his aquatic abilities, and has a thirst for righting wrongs
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This makes the whole story feel a bit strange when Ving Rhames is telling him he's from Atlantis
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and Arthur scoffs and is taken aback by the otherworldly ideas that are being presented to him
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Atlantis. Yeah. Next time you're in Atlantis, could you say hi to Captain Nemo and the Little Mermaid for me
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He can communicate with sea creatures and swim as fast as a fighter jet can fly
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Why is he taken aback by these revelations? It tries so hard to ground the tropes in a sense of believable reality
5:41
The show is also hellbent on introducing an X-Files-style conspiracy and a mechanism to get a monster of the week into the show
5:48
As far as narrative mechanics go it could have been worse All these files contain pictures of people who have vanished in the Bermuda Triangle They are MIAs in Invisible War and Tempest Keys are front line
5:58
Overall, the pilot feels pretty in line with what you'd expect from this time period
6:02
It's a bit underwhelming and has that glossy early 2000s TV visual aesthetic
6:07
that hasn't aged all that well. However, it had potential. This show easily could have evolved into something cool
6:13
With a bit more development of the relationships, more money for the visual effects
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and the benefit of a villain that's not just Adrian Pilecki in a bikini
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this show could have been something interesting. This is part of your training. Right. See, when you said training, I thought you meant, you know
6:27
wielding tridents and doing cool stuff in the water. All in due time. As the show wrapped shooting, the internet began to take notice and really pay attention
6:35
Fan sites were very excited about the project, hoping it would be another successful show in the same vein as Smallville
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When asked about the positive buzz, Lou Diamond Phillips told MovieWeb, I think we set the bar high with it, and I think there is a definite awareness and a definite
6:48
eagerness out in the viewing audience to see the show. Tragically, the show was not picked up to
6:53
series. It has been intimated by people associated with the production that the reasons for this were
6:58
studio politics and the shifting priorities of the various people in positions of power
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not the actual quality of the production. Eventually, due to fan fervor, the pilot was
7:07
the first WB project to be purchasable on iTunes. The fact that the pilot was flawed shouldn't have
7:12
been a stopping point. The CW needed new shows, and this project certainly seemed primed to carry
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the Smallville torch. In fact, its failure is something that seems to still haunt everyone
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involved with it, even now. All these years later, Justin Hartley has said repeatedly that it was the
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biggest disappointment of his career. Ultimately, would the show have been great? Who can say
7:34
It certainly had potential despite an uneven beginning. Hartley displays charisma. uh, Reims is a perfect mentor character, and in the end
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it definitely wouldn't have been any worse than the Birds of Prey TV show, that's for sure. Doc? Doc
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