‘Black Adam’: Dwayne Johnson fought to keep the character away from ‘Shazam!’

Given Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s status as one of the biggest action stars in the world, many find it surprising that he waited so long to be a star in an animated movie franchise. While the former wrestler has likely picked up superhero parts in the past, he’s always been on the lookout for a certain role: black Adam. Johnson was first linked with the role a decade ago when he entered into talks to play the villain in the movie that eventually becameShazam! “

Black Adam and Shazam have always been enemies in the comic books, having received their superpowers from the same wizard. To many, the movie where the two face off seemed a natural fit. But Johnson eventually backed out of the project, encouraging Warner Bros. executives. On developing a standalone film to present the villain in a separate film.

Johnson got his wish and “Black Adam” is set to hit theaters this fall. In a new interview with Vanity FairJohnson explains why he struggles to ensure Black Adam gets his own movie.

“When the first draft of the film came to us, it was a mixture of Black Adam and Shazam: two original stories in one movie,” Johnson said. Now that was the point—so it wasn’t a complete surprise. But when I read that, I knew in my gut, ‘We can’t make this movie like this. We’re going to hurt Black Adam incredibly. , but not good for Black Adam.”

This feeling prompted Johnson to make a phone call to express his discomfort with the idea. He explained that Black Adam and Shazam are completely different characters, and that presenting them in the same movie would be detrimental to both. It was believed that in the end, any potential confrontation between the two characters would be richer if presented in two separate films.

I said, ‘I should share my thoughts here. It’s not very popular because everyone thought, ‘Hey, this script is great, let’s go make this movie. ‘ I said, ‘I really think you should do Shazam! And I think we should separate this as well. “

Black Adam will open in theaters October 21, 2022.

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