All 6 Aquaman actors ranked from worst to best
By Bryce Olin
3. Justin Hartley
- Aquaman (TV pilot)
Justin Hartley is the best Aquaman that wasn’t. The This Is Us star was cast as Arthur “AC” Curry in Aquaman, a 2006 WB series from Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who also created Netflix’s Wednesday. Unfortunately, the series was not picked up after the pilot was filmed. Normally, that’s where this story would end, with virtually no one seeing this Aquaman TV pilot, but that’s not what happened.
There was such a swell of enthusiasm for this project and Hartley as Aquaman. The pilot was then released on iTunes, and it was a huge success. I’m so bummed WB never picked up this show. It’s like a mix of The OC and Smallville. It would have been incredible TV, and Hartley would have been a household name. I have no doubt about that!
Hartley would have been an incredible Aquaman — he was an incredible Aquaman. The only thing missing was a REAL opportunity to crush this role. I’m sure it would have gone swimmingly had it ever made it to series.
Unfortunately, Hartley’s Aquaman goes on the list of major what-ifs in DC TV and movie history. Speaking of Smallville, up next is a Smallville star!