There's a lot of excitement surrounding Black Adam, but for many fans, seeing Dwayne Johnson's anti-hero clash with the likes of Shazam and Superman is what they're really waiting for. While those meetings are bound to happen eventually, the origin story comes first as Warner Bros. and the actor look set to establish that new hierarchy of power in the DCEU we keep hearing so much about.
Talking to Total Film, Johnson made it clear the team working on Black Adam knew exactly what they did and didn't want to do heading into the character's big screen debut.
"You get one shot out of the gates to build these characters properly," the actor admits. "We paid attention to some of the pitfalls that other films had experienced in the past, in the world of DC, and what, rightfully, got a lot of fans unhappy and pissed – and, as a fan, I was one of them."
"So, let’s make sure we respect tradition and mythology, but let’s not be handcuffed creatively," Johnson added when asked about the dream clash with the Man of Steel fans are so anxious to see. "We can do anything if we keep the audience first. So to me, there’s a battle that’s going to go down one day, between Black Adam and Superman."
"I don’t know who that Superman is going to be, and I don’t know who’s going to play him," he admitted, referring to the uncertainty surrounding Henry Cavill's future as Kal-El as Warner Bros. continues to develop multiple reboots. "That’s OK. I don’t need to know right now. But I’m confident in knowing that. And that’s based out of what fans want. We worked backwards from there."
A huge crossover is clearly planned for somewhere down the line, though it will be interesting to find out which version of Superman Johnson's Black Adam winds up facing. Cavill will be the top choice for many fans, though the hunt is believed to be on for a Black actor to play Kal-El in a reimagining of the franchise from producer J.J. Abrams and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Black Adam will thunder into theatres on July 29, 2022.