Dwayne Johnson starred in 2022’s Black Adam; a DCEU superhero movie based on the DC character of the same name. It was the eleventh movie in the DCEU and reportedly a spin-off to 2019’s Shazam! Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from a screenplay by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani, Black Adam was one of the highly anticipated movies of 2022.
Upon its release, the movie received negative reviews from the critics and the audience becoming a box office bomb for the studios. However, one significant appearance from a former DCEU cast member had the audience excited about the movie and had them looking forward to its further development before the sequel was canceled. Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia touched upon how the movie was not a standalone project but more than that.
Dwayne Johnson starring Black Adam was made with a long-term plan
Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam saw Henry Cavill’s Superman making a return to the DCEU, which created a buzz among the fans. Actors were thrilled to be working together to not only create a masterpiece with Black Adam but also set up a foundation for many more movies featuring the two characters that would follow.
In an interview with Cinema Blend, Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia touched upon their plans for Black Adam and Superman that would go far beyond one fight hinting at the multiple-movie arc angle with Cavill. He said at the time,
“It’s never been about one off or just about a fight. No, it’s about so much more than that. We really want to craft a long-form storytelling and show that these two characters exist in the same universe and are going to have a deal with each other often, either on the same or opposite sides.”
The producer stressed how the movie was never made with the intention to have a ‘one fight’ situation, adding that it was never their dream. He added that the fans wanted to feel a journey between these two characters, knowing that they existed in the same universe.
Dwayne Johnson upon asking about the future of the Black Adam, said that the ‘whole point’ of making Black Adam was to set up a foundation/movie which would see the anti-hero face Superman in the following movies.
Black Adam producer admits to having large ambitions with Superman’s return
Talking about Henry Cavill’s anticipated return as Superman, Hiram Garcia mentioned at the time,
“He wanted to come back, we wanted him to come back, and we wanted to make sure that we were able to establish that his character exists in the same universe as Black Adam.”
He further explained that they had large ambitions for the things they wanted to do, adding that a lot of that was in the works at the time. However, after the release of Black Adam and the response it received from the audience, the sequel was called off by new co-CEOs, James Gunn and Peter Safran. In addition to the sequel being called off, Henry Cavill announced that it was his time to say goodbye to his fan-favorite character and move on to different characters.
Johnson had shared with Variety after the announcement that all he can say is that they had put in their best efforts while making Black Adam deliver the best movie they could. However, it’s unfortunate that DC fans would not see Cavill or Johnson as Superman or Black Adam. Instead, David Corenswet is all set to appear as Superman on-screen with James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy.
Black Adam is available to stream on Prime Video. Superman is scheduled for release on 11th July 2025.
