Dwayne Johnson has made no secret of the fact he pressurised Warner Bros. into making a Black Adam movie, despite them initially wanting his character to be part of Shazam!. The studio's approach actually makes more sense, particularly as establishing the anti-hero there would increase interest in any eventual spin-off with The Rock taking centre stage.
Instead, the 2019 movie saw Shazam battle Dr. Sivana, while Black Adam arrived in theaters this past October to negative reviews and disappointing box office numbers.
Shazam!, ironically, was deemed a hit and remains one of the DCEU's best-reviewed titles.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Johnson is unlikely to be happy about Peter Safran being in charge of DC Studios because he produces the Shazam! franchise. Why would that be an issue? Well, the former pro wrestler is said to have "thinly veiled disdain" for those movies, something which doesn't surprise us when you look at how Black Adam compares tonally.
Simply put, Johnson's approach to superhero storytelling is vastly different to what we've seen from Billy Batson's corner of the DCEU, and it doesn't appear as if he wants to be part of that jovial franchise in any way, shape, or form.
That's his right, but seemingly confirming those "disdain" claims is a report that The Rock is said to have passed on a cameo role in 2023's Shazam! Fury of the Gods when offered. This is mind-blowing, particularly as Johnson has repeatedly promised fans he wants to eventually build to a crossover.
Still, with the actor putting pressure on Warner Bros. to bring Henry Cavill back as Superman, it's obvious Johnson wanted to fight Superman, not Shazam (a character he may feel is beneath him). While comic book fans would like these three to share the screen, 99% of them would actually choose a Shazam/Black Adam meeting over Superman/Black Adam.
How do you guys feel about this latest development?