Dwayne Johnson has confirmed that he is ready as Black Adam below that of James Gunn DC leadership, at least for now.
DC Studios – headed by Gunn and Peter Safran – is currently puzzling out its plans to reboot the DCU, and part of that process involves clearing out the house of the old guard. That has already been proven news that Henry Cavill’s Superman will be recastleaving fans wondering who’s next.
Perhaps the character in the toughest position is Johnson’s Black Adam, who debuted just a month before Gunn took over. Black Adam was supposed to usher in a new era for the franchise and change the power hierarchy in the DC Universe, but that all fell apart after that mediocre responses and disappointing cash register results.
Prior to Gunn’s DC takeover, The Rock and his Seven Bucks production company were already making plans for sequels and spin-offs Black Adam, which left fans wondering where the character stands now. Well, Johnson has provided an update on that, and like Cavill’s recent statement, it’s not good news.
Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam Future Receives Disappointing Update
Dwayne Johnson issued a statement about Twitter which provides an update on the situation surrounding Black Adam in the DC Universe following the acquisition of James Gunn and Peter Safran and the emergence of their apparent reboot plans.
The Rock confirmed Teth-Adam “will not be in their first chapter of storytelling.” Although DC and Seven Bucks will still keep thinking about how the anti-hero can be “used in future DC multiverse chapters:”
“My passionate friends,
I wanted to give you a long overdue Black Adam update on the character’s future in the new DC Universe.
James Gunn and I hooked up, and Black Adam won’t tell stories in their first chapter. However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam could be used in future DC multiverse chapters.
James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed. It’s no different now, and I will always advocate for DC (and Marvel) to win and WIN BIG.
You know me, and I have very thick skin – and you can always count on me to be direct with my words.”
The Black Adam star added how Gunn and DC’s decision represent their point of view [the] DCU through their creative lens,” before adding his pride to the movie they made after many years of work:
“These decisions by James and DC’s leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens.
After 15 years of relentless hard work to finally make ‘Black Adam’, I am very proud of the film we delivered to fans around the world. I will always look back on the fan response to Black Adam with immense gratitude, humility and love.
We did great.
To my very passionate and vocal fans of the Black Adam/Super Hero genre: I love you, THANK YOU, and I will ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOU and do my best to deliver and entertain you.
What a great month – now we all need some Teremana!
A productive week and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and your family!”
DC Studios CEO James Gunn responded to Johnson’s statement, sharing his excitement to see his next work “working together soon:”
“Love @TheRock and I’m always excited to see what he and Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to work together soon.”
Black Adam Reboot reaffirms DC Reboot speculation
After fighting for 15 years to bring Black Adam to life, Dwayne Johnson will no doubt be disappointed that that tenure has already been cut short. However, after the disappointing critical and financial results of Black Adamwould the character’s future be in question, with or without the DC regime change.
The Rock’s confirmation that, at least during the first wave of projects, he won’t be returning as the character under James Gunn only confirms speculation that the franchise is headed for a reboot. Although he was clear that the door remains open for more performances, making specific mention of the Multiverse.
This would seem to indicate that if Black Adam were to return, the character’s existing DCEU iteration would make the jump into the new universe via the Multiverse, possibly in a Crisis type event. Although when exactly that will happen is a much more difficult question.
Gunn specifically noted his excitement “working together soon,” while The Rock confirmed that Black Adam will not be a part of this first chapter of storytelling. So maybe Johnson and Seven Bucks could get involved in other projects in a producing capacity, while Black Adam stays on the sidelines.
While DC will be rebooted and Black Adam will be left in the old universe, that doesn’t mean his tenure as a character is over for now. Aside from Multiversal crossovers, when Gunn inevitably wants to bring the anti-hero into his new universe, The Rock could also play the world’s version of him.
Black Adam now streaming on HBO Max.
