Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra has revealed that Dwayne Johnson's titular antihero shares many similarities with Clint Eastwood's titular character in the Dirty Harry franchise.
"I talked early on with D.J. about how there were many similar aspects between Black Adam and Dirty Harry, which is a movie that broke rules in the ’70s," Collet-Serra told Vanity Fair. "The systems were corrupt, so you had criminals taking advantage. You needed a cop that would cut through the bullshit, and basically do what needs to be done. That’s very much in line with Black Adam and his way of thinking. I think that’s appealing to pretty much everybody. Everybody knows how the world sometimes is not fair, and you need people that break the rules to even out the playing field."
Inspector Harold Francis Callahan, nicknamed Dirty Harry, first appeared in 1971's Dirty Harry, portrayed by Clint Eastwood. The character became severely popular and introduced audiences to a cop that wasn't afraid to cross professional boundaries if it meant getting justice. Eastwood reprised his role as Dirty Harry in four sequels: Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), Sudden Impact (1983) and The Dead Pool (1988). The character often used unorthodox, violent and ruthless methods to capture wanted criminals and killers. Dirty Harry is also known for his iconic phrases such as "Go ahead, make my day" and "[...] you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" which have since been referenced or parodied endlessly in film and television.
Black Adam Will Expand the DCEU
Black Adam will be used to expand the DC Extended Universe, according to producer Hiram Garcia. "I think, through him as our breaking point, we get to now add in the JSA and who knows what other characters come in," Garcia stated. "But when you put a character like Black Adam into the DC Universe; someone who's that strong, that unpredictable and uncontrollable - it requires more people to come around to try their best to manage him. I think using him as the point of that spear is a really nice tool for us to start expanding the universe in a fun way." Black Adam has also reportedly added a new post-credits scene that will have significant ramifications on the DCEU and Black Adam's place in it.
Black Adam follows Teth-Adam/Black Adam as he is freed from his earthly tomb 5,000 years after being bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods (and imprisoned just as quickly) and ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world. Johnson stars in the film alongside Aldis Hodge's Hawkman, Noah Centineo's Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell's Cyclone and Pierce Brosnan's Doctor Fate. Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Bodhi Sabongui, James Cusati-Moyer, Mo Amer and Uli Latukefu round out the cast.
Black Adam opens in theaters on Oct. 21.
Source: Vanity Fair