Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Black Adam will not be returning for a second round against DC Comics superheroes. Johnson confirmed that DC Studios chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran will not be including the character in the first phase of their new DC Universe movies. Black Adam was a passion project for Johnson, but it failed to miss the lofty box office targets it needed to hit because of its massive budget and marketing costs.
“James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling,” Johnson wrote in a statement to fans on Tuesday. “However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.” Seven Bucks is the production company Johnson co-founded with his ex-wife, Dany Garcia, and co-produced Black Adam with Warner Bros.
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“James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed,” Johnson continued. “It’s no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and win big. You guys know me, and I have very thick skin – and you can always count on me to be direct with my words.” The Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star went on to note that the decisions made by Gunn and the new DC leadership reflect their “vision of DCU through their creative lens.”
In the end, Johnson referenced his 15-year dream to play Black Adam, the main villain for Shazam. Although he will not end up fighting Zachary Levi’s character in a future Shazam movie, Johnson said he will still look back on the reaction to Black Adam with “tremendous gratitude, humility, and love.”
Black Adam finally hit theaters on Oct. 21 and was met with a mixed response from critics. Although it earned the biggest domestic opening for The Rock, it stalled at $391.1 million worldwide. While that sounds like a big number, Black Adam reportedly cost between $195 million and $230 million to make, and that’s before marketing and distribution costs are factored in.
Even if Black Adam was a success, it’s likely that Johnson may not have returned for a Black Adam 2 anyway. Gunn and Safran have made it clear that they want to start fresh with many of the major characters in the DC Comics universe. Last week, they made their first major move when Gunn announced he would be recasting Superman for a new movie he is writing, leaving Henry Cavill out of luck. Cavill even made a big comeback in the Black Adam post-credits scene.
There are still four upcoming movies set in the DC Extended Universe that launched with Man of Steel in 2013. Shazam! Fury of the Gods will hit theaters on March 17, with The Flash following on June 16. Blue Beetle is scheduled to open on Aug. 18 and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom follows on Dec. 25, 2023. The second season of Peacemaker, an HBO Max series spun out of Gunn’s The Suicide Squad movie, is also expected soon.
