Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is joining the DC Entertainment Universe—as a badass supervillain. Johnson is set to play Black Adam in his own solo film, Black Adam, and now that movie has an official release date: December 22, 2021. Johnson announced the news about playing the antihero on Instagram, announcing an official release and adding some more info about how excited he is to play the character.
Johnson wrote: “The Man in Black ⚡️Like most kids growing up, I dreamed about being a superhero. Having cool superpowers, fighting for what’s right and always protecting the people. It all changed for me, when I was 10yrs old and was first introduced to the greatest superhero of all time – SUPERMAN. As a kid, Superman was the hero I always wanted to be. But, a few years into my fantasy, I realized that Superman was the hero, I could never be. I was too rebellious. Too rambunctious. Too resistant to convention and authority. Despite my troubles, I was still a good kid with a good heart – I just liked to do things my way. Now, years later as a man, with the same DNA I had as a kid – my superhero dreams have come true. I’m honored to join the iconic #DCUniverse and it’s a true pleasure to become, BLACK ADAM. BLACK ADAM is blessed by magic with the powers equal to SUPERMAN, but the difference is he doesn’t toe the mark or walk the line. He’s a rebellious, one of a kind superhero, who’ll always do what’s right for the people – but he does it his way. Truth and justice – the BLACK ADAM way. This role is unlike any other I’ve ever played in my career and I’m grateful to the bone we’ll all go on this journey together. BLACK ADAM 12.22.21 ⚡️”
This post has been updated. It was originally written in January 2019.
After being attached to play the nefarious Black Adam for a few years, Johnson will officially be getting his own standalone Black Adam movie from New Line Cinema and DC Comics, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The original Shazam film will now be split into two projects: one featuring Shazam, and another following Black Adam on his own.
Johnson teased some major news regarding the character after meeting with DC at their main offices last week, and now it’s safe to say that the sit-down was a very productive one.
While Black Adam may not have quite the name recognition of, say, Batman or Superman, the character has been around since 1945 and has been a part of the DC comic book world since 1973. He has a wide range of powers, including superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and wisdom, as well as expert skills in hand-to-hand combat. So yeah, it sounds like Johnson is a good fit.
It’s not really a shock to see Johnson get his own film, considering he’s the highest-paid actor in the world. But the news opens up some very interesting—and fun—possibilities: Will Johnson’s Black Adam interact with Superman (Henry Cavill) in future films? Will be be more of an anti-hero than a villain, considering he’s “The Rock”?
DC has a ton of possibilities to explore—and now they have one of the most popular actors in the world in their stable of superpowered characters.
