With Furious 7 and disaster flick San Andreas looming on the horizon, Dwayne Johnson is set to have a big year. But upon doing the press rounds for the former high-octane sequel, the wrestler-turned-bona fide action star was quizzed about his upcoming role as Black Adam in DC’s superhero flick, Shazam.
Speaking to Total Film, Johnson touched upon the nature of the fan favorite anti-hero, and how he can play a bigger role in the larger DC universe going forward.
I think Black Adam is going to grow into becoming an anti-hero…It’s all written within the spirit of respecting and paying homage to the comics. As we know, Black Adam started out as a slave. When he’s given the powers, he utilized them. Then in the wake of his powers, tragedy strikes, which turns his sentiment and tone in terms of psychology.
It was all agreed that the worlds are all interconnected… One day you will see Black Adam go at it with Superman or Batman or any of the DC characters. But that said, there’s a great independence to Black Adam from the DC world, allowing us to inject, not only viciousness, but also winking humour.
Ever since his involvement in Shazam was confirmed, Johnson has long made it clear that his rendition of Black Adam will be ruthless, yes, but also be full of charm. As things stand, with a script from Darren Lemke — of Jack and the Giant Slayer fame — Shazam has the potential of giving DC fans the cinematic villain they’ve so craved, one with enough screen presence and gravitas to become likeable, rather than just servicing the overarching plot.
And given the likeability factor that Johnson has earned through his recent string of Hollywood appearances, we can’t think of a better actor to bring the atypical villain to life.
Shazam is still a ways away, with DC’s superhero flick slated to arrive on April 5, 2019. In the meantime, tell us, what do you make of Dwayne Johnson’s comments in relation to Black Adam and the larger DC universe.
