DC Comics superheroes Black Adam, Superman, and Shazam are supposed to fight, but that’s not the case. So, Dwayne Johnson, also known as “The Rock,” reportedly pressured DC Studios on creative decisions when making his long-awaited debut in the dominant comic-book-movie genre, TheWrap reported Tuesday.
First, some comic background: Zachary Levi has played Shazam, a strange but powerful superhero in the eponymous movie, which is the most popular movie of 2019. But Shazam is a traditional rival to the character of Black Adam Johnson, whose own movie bombed in 2022 and which curiously does not feature Levi at all. Now Levi is running second in character, the Shazam! Fury of the Godsdebuted last week and underperformed at the box office, with disastrous reviews—and no sign of the original Black Adam.
Johnson’s plan to be the pinnacle of the DC universe backfired for months when he and last decade’s Superman, Henry Cavill, were unceremoniously fired last December by DC Studios. Now, DC’s latest offering bombed so badly that some critics thought it missed the mark. The film only made an estimated $30.5 million in its opening weekend — a far cry from the $53.5 million earned by the first installment in the series in its first week. It seems like The Rock had a little to do with that, too.
Johnson reportedly rejected the idea of sharing screen space with Levi in the post-credits scene, usually a short but important piece at the end of a superhero movie that teases upcoming films in the franchise. When promoting Adam is black, Johnson promoted face-off with Superman, played by Cavill, undermining “Shazam” in the public eye. And Levi seemed to confirm the bad blood on social media, posting a story to Instagram about it TheWrap’s reports on Johnson’s refusal to work with him.
“Dwayne is trying to sell himself bigger than a movie,” a Hollywood executive said TheWrap in anonymous. “Instead of making a movie, they want to go beyond their brand and create a brand that focuses on themselves.”
Even when DC first started working on a movie about Shazam’s origin story, Black Adam was meant to star in the movie. But Johnson wanted his own movie for the evil superhero, and it finally happened. Part of the reason it’s not fun is because the characters Shazam and Black Adam have appeared so many times in DC comics. Both are connected by a superpower, which comes from Greek and Egyptian gods. Black Adam and Superman also have a history. So it is expected that when Black Adam finally debuts in 2022, he will fight Shazam and Superman at some point in the future.
But right now, the fate of two of the three characters is still undecided (or at least not announced to the public).
And despite The Rock’s best efforts to make himself the new titan of the DC Universe who can take on the “Man of Steel,” Adam is black failed to meet expectations.
Of course, there are some changes in the DC superhero universe that have nothing to do with Johnson, but are part of a larger soul-searching mission by the studio. Since James Gunn and Peter Safran took the helm of DC’s film, TV and animation division last October (just a few days after the release of Black Adam), they changed the line-up of films they planned for the coming year.
The reorganization affected several planned films. Wonder Woman 3, starring Gal Gadot, was canceled, leaving many loose ends for her character in the franchise. Safran also mentioned what he was waiting for Batgirl the film, which was scrapped before the new head took over, “unreleasable,” supports the previous management’s decision to shelve it. Sequel to flash light and Aquaman is scheduled to be released later this year, when new Superman and Batman The movie will be released in 2025.
A representative at DC Studios did not immediately return calls fortunerequest for comments.
These are difficult times for Hollywood, which is experiencing a shift in power dynamics. Screenwriters have threatened to strike if they are not paid better, but the company refuses. The potential attack could cause a major disruption in the volume of new movies and TV shows, which has increased in recent years following the growth of streaming platforms.