'Aquaman' director James Wan said he channeled 'Fast and the Furious' when putting the Pitbull song 'Ocean to Ocean' in the movie

• One entertaining moment of "Aquaman" is when the Pitbull song "Ocean to Ocean" appears as actors Jason Momoa and Amber Heard walk out of the ocean in slow motion.
• Director James Wan told Business Insider why the song, which features a cover of Toto's "Africa" in the hook, was placed in that scene.

 

"Aquaman" is being praised the world over for bringing the DC Comic superhero to the big screen in a fun, CGI-fueled way. But the cherry on top is the out-of-left-field drop of the Pitbull song "Ocean to Ocean" in the middle of the movie.

In a shot that you can't help but howl with laughter at, Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Mera (Amber Heard) emerge out of the crashing waves from the depths of the sea in slow motion while the bass-heavy "Ocean to Ocean" track plays. In the song, Pitbull raps about the plot of the movie ("They tried to get rid of me, but from ocean to ocean, they gonna have to deal with me") followed by the hook which is a cover of Toto's classic "Africa."

But the song leaves as quickly as it appears, with Aquaman and Mera setting off in search of the Trident of Atlan. And the audience is left wondering what just happened.

Business Insider got a little insight on the origin of the "Ocean to Ocean" sequence from "Aquaman" director, James Wan, who said it was written for the movie before Pitbull signed on to record it.

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"And putting the song in the sequence where Aquaman and Mera walk out of the water in slow motion, I felt: For f---'s sake, let's have fun with it! It's something out of 'Fast and Furious.'"

That's a tone Wan is very familiar with. He directed 2015's "Furious 7," which to date is the highest-grossing movie of that franchise.

"Pitbull was in there very early on," Wan said of signing on to do the song. "He was really excited to do something for the film. That sequence is very tongue-in-cheek, and we just wanted to have fun with it. And we wanted a cheeky song at that point of the movie. I just wasn't sure what song it was going to be."

But when he heard the Pitbull song, featuring the hook sung by Rhea, he knew right away he had his song.

"Aquaman" opens in theaters on Friday.