Looking at the upcoming slate of DCEU projects, it’s hard to try and get a reading on how it all fits together, if it even does at all. J.K. Simmons entering talks to return as Commissioner Gordon in Batgirl would indicate that it occupies the same narrative space as The Flash, given that the latter features SnyderVerse alumni Ezra Miller and Ben Affleck, both of whom interacted with Simmons in Justice League.
HBO Max’s Black Canary spinoff will obviously be connected to Birds of Prey, which in itself was an offshoot from David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, but James Gunn’s recent R-rated romp wasn’t tied to either of those aforementioned titles. It’s a canonical nightmare, but we can at least be safe in the knowledge that Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam will exist in the same pocket of the universe as the Shazam! franchise.
For one thing, the actor and producer’s Seven Bucks banner are involved in both properties behind the camera, while the two comic book characters are arch-nemeses on the page, and Zachary Levi has barely able been able to contain his excitement at the possibility of throwing down with The Rock once all of the pieces have been put into place.
However, we’re now hearing from our sources – the same ones who told us Ben Affleck would be returning as Batman in The Flash long before it was confirmed – that Johnson is keen to ensure that the Dirty Harry of superheroes makes his presence felt all across the DCEU, not just the Black Adam and Shazam! side of things.
Of course, a lot of that will be dependent on whether or not Black Adam and the DCEU as a whole adopt a more connective approach or continue to throw projects into development without looking at the big picture, but a star as big as Johnson typically tends to get what he wants in the long run.
