Black Adam’s introduction to the DC Comics superheroes on screen is getting closer and closer. The actor made his presence known at the film’s recent San Diego Comic-Con panel, so audiences are excited to see him make his live-action premiere. But if Warner Bros. had maintained their initial plan for the release of Shazam! in 2019, we would have seen the debut of the title anti-hero a lot sooner. Shazam! and Black Adam were both planned to be introduced to the DCEU at the same time, according to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who will portray the title character in the film. Johnson made the revelation in an interview with Vanity Fair.
In contrast, Johnson strongly objected to the plan, arguing that Black Adam’s plot would be hampered by the inclusion of two characters who are so closely linked in the comics but who should be shown separately in a film. The original script for the film was a hybrid of Black Adam and Shazam, telling both of their origin tales in one. So, that was the plan all along; it shouldn’t have come as a total shock.
When I read it, though, I had an immediate, unshakeable realisation: “We can’t produce this movie like this.” In so so, we would be doing a grave injustice to Black Adam. Having two origin tales intersect in one film might have been OK for Shazam, but it would not have been good for Black Adam. The actor recalled that he had contacted the company to express his (what he called) “unpopular viewpoint” about the project.
However, Warner Bros. eventually agreed to his proposal to split the films, and Black Adam will soon have its chance to shine. Johnson hinted at an exciting future for the DCEU, one that may entail a fight between his character and the nearly invincible Superman, in a recent interview. Even so, the actor has repeatedly assured fans that his character’s introduction will shake things up in the DC canon. Johnson’s run in the DC universe is one of the few to have survived Warner CEO David Zaslav’s recent attempt at reorganisation, which has led to the cancellation of projects like Batgirl.
If the picture does as well as expected when it comes out, it will be really exciting. Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Pierce Brosnan, and Viola Davis, who will reprise her role as Amanda Waller from previous DCEU films, will join Johnson in the film’s cast. Jaume Collet-Serra helms the picture. On October 21, cinemas will debut Black Adam.
Synopsis
Black Adam (Johnson) is released from his tomb over five thousand years after he was endowed with the enormous powers of the Egyptian gods and promptly imprisoned, and he immediately sets out to deliver his own brand of justice on the contemporary world.