Following the successful release of Warner Bros.' Shazam!, Dwayne Johnson, who served as a producer on the superhero film, shared a video to underline the film's many achievements. On top of thanking audiences for the movie's warm reception and congratulating lead actor Zachary Levi for a stellar performance, Johnson revealed a little bit of information about his long-gestating turn as Black Adam.
Johnson, who was first tapped to play the villain back in 2014, has yet to actually appear in the so-called DC Extended Universe. While the character was originally set to appear in Shazam!, it was ultimately decided that he would be getting his own solo film instead. Johnson confirmed in the aforementioned video that the movie should finally begin production next year -- but he didn't stop there. The actor may have also let out a possible tease, saying, "I can't wait to play Black Adam, cause they're all getting their ass kicked when I play Black Adam. That day of reckoning is coming for everyone."
Now sure, it might have just been a joke, but what if there is more to it than that? What if the plan isn't just for a Black Adam film, but to have the character eventually take on the Justice League? This is certainly an intriguing possibility, and it would give Warner Bros. and DC a chance to deliver a proper do-over of the ill-received Justice League.
The Rebirth of the DCEU
On the whole, the DCEU got off to a rocky start. After the mixed critical reception of Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. opted for a different approach to its films. The highly anticipated Justice League was an unfortunate casualty of this change in direction. When Joss Whedon was brought in to replace Zack Snyder and to re-shoot and retool the ensemble film so as to inject more levity and humor, the result felt incomplete and rushed.
However, the DCEU's standalone films have otherwise done pretty well. Aquaman was a massive success, and now Shazam! is following suit. Add this to the success of Patty Jenkins' critically-acclaimed Wonder Woman, and Warner Bros.' superhero universe is in the midst of a rebirth. Sure, the studio might have lost two of its big guns in Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, if reports are to be believed, but there is now a new trinity in town: Diana Prince, Arthur Curry and Billy Batson.
Now that Warner Bros. is slowing down and focusing on standalone films, the goal could be to eventually bring these characters together again on the big screen -- eventually. And what better villain could this new version of the Justice League face than Johnson's Black Adam?
If the Black Adam film is an origin story returning to Ancient Egypt as was already teased in Shazam!, then it's possible that the plan will be to bring the character to the present to have him face off against a new iteration of the Justice League. Whoever ends up comprising the team doesn't ultimately matter, because this would be the perfect opportunity to fix the mistakes of 2017's Justice League.
Whether Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam are the only three returning superheroes or not, this would be the opportune time to finally get the team-up movie right. With a slower approach, the team dynamics could be more firmly established, and the villain they face would be one that the audience got to know in a previous standalone film. After all, Steppenwolf wasn't exactly a formidable and three-dimensional adversary for the League -- but that could change if the superheroes go up against the might of Black Adam next.
A Showdown a Longtime Coming
In 2016, two years after Johnson was cast in the role of the DC villain, actor Henry Cavill shared an Instagram picture of himself and The Rock sharing a drink and toasting to the future of the DCEU. The picture itself wasn't a confirmation that the two characters were going to clash on the big screen, but the tease was enough to get fans talking. Now, here we are three years later, and the landscape of the DCEU has greatly changed. As it now stands, we can't even say if Cavill will return as the Man of Steel or not. Still, with Johnson's recent video and his cryptic tease, we can't help but wonder if Warner Bros. has been planning, for a very long time, to pit Black Adam against the Justice League.
Sure, recent changes may have altered those plans, but given that they have held back on introducing Johnson to the DCEU, the studio's patience might have been for the better. With the DC film universe's course finally laid in with a successful rebirth, Warner Bros. is now free to pull the trigger, and unleash Johnson's Black Adam.
If Black Adam films next year, then it could hit theaters as soon as 2021. By then, we'll have already seen the release of Wonder Woman 1984, Matt Reeves' solo Batman film, James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, and Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey. A sequel for Shazam! may not have been given the green light yet, but given the film's success, don't be surprised if an announcement comes soon. Therefore, by the time Johnson finally hits the big screen as Black Adam, the DCEU's new tapestry will be firmly established.
By then, the studio may be able to successfully cap it all off by uniting a new Justice League once again, to take on a villain coming to deliver a reckoning the likes of which we have yet to see. This would finally be the chance for Warner Bros. to deliver the spectacle film Justice League was always meant to be. This time, however, the team-up will be earned, and the threat the team faces would be something that leaves the entire DCEU shaking in its wake.
Directed by David F. Sandberg, Shazam! stars Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Zachary Levi as Shazam, Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, Djimon Hounsou as the ancient wizard Shazam, Grace Fulton as Mary Bromfield, Jack Dylan Grazer as Frederick “Freddy” Freeman, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Jovan Armand as Pedro Peña, Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, Cooper Andrews as Victor Vásquez and Marta Milans as Rosa Vásquez. The film is in theaters now.