This past summer one of the first dominoes to fall in Warner Brothers’ long term plan for their DC cinematic universe was Dwayne Johnson’s pending participation in the Shazam movie.
Johnson had been dropping cryptic hints for months, leaving eager fans speculating who he would end up playing. It was finally announced that he would be taking on the role of Black Adam, the antagonist and main threat to the childlike Shazam. In a recent interview with Total Film, Johnson explained the approach they are taking with the character.
“I think Black Adam is going to grow into becoming an anti-hero. It’s all written within the spirit of respecting and paying homage to the comics. As we know, Black Adam started out as a slave. When he’s given the powers, he utilised them. Then in the wake of his powers, tragedy strikes, which turns his sentiment and tone in terms of psychology.”
There has not been a director assigned to the movie publicly, but Darren Lemke (Jack the Giant Slayer) has been working on the script for months. It is encouraging that Johnson seems so energized by the material and the character. Black Adam has an epic origin story and Johnson seems to think that it will be fully explored on film.
Another huge disappointment for fans is when a New Line executive insinuated that the Shazam movie would be self-contained film last summer. Shazam’s story revolves around a kid who gains the power of a god-like superhero by simply uttering the word “Shazam.” It would makes sense if it won’t fit in with the more mature tone of Zack Snyder’s DC universe. However Johnson assures that it will all connect.
“It was all agreed that the worlds are all interconnected… One day you will see Black Adam go at it with Superman or Batman or any of the DC characters. But that said, there’s a great independence to Black Adam from the DC world, allowing us to inject, not only viciousness, but also winking humour.”
It would truly be a waste to not connect Black Adam and The Rock to the rest of the DC universe. Not only is Johnson known for boosting ticket sales in franchises that he joins (Fast & Furious), but he has extensive experience being a heel from his pro wrestling days. Superman is just as susceptible to magic attacks as anyone else, so seeing Henry Cavill and The Rock wrestle in mid-air would be as epic a special effect as anything else.
If the Warner Bros. announced slate of films keeps its schedule, it would make the most sense for Adam to show up in the part two of the Justice League saga. However everything could change in the next four years, so it will be interesting to see how this project develops.
Shazam is scheduled for an April 5th, 2019.
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