WASHINGTON: Despite being buried, Black Adam is still alive in a sense!
DC’s anti-hero Black Adam, according to Dwayne Johnson and James Gunn, co-president of DC Studios, “will not be in their first chapter of storytelling.”
According to Variety, the DC Multiverse and Johnson’s production firm, Seven Bucks, “have agreed to continue investigating the most beneficial ways Black Adam can be employed in future DC Multiverse chapters,” Johnson continued in a statement.
In response, Gunn tweeted, “Love the Rock, and I’m always excited to see what he and Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to collaborate soon.”
According to Variety, the news is the most recent in a string of headlines that have appeared since producer Peter Safran and director James Gunn were appointed to lead DC Studios and overhaul Warner Bros.’s lineup of movies, TV shows, and video games based on DC characters.
Starting with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Henry Cavill’s Superman, two actors who have portrayed the roles in many films, Gunn and Safran have methodically untangled the DC Universe from the cast of characters that have been built over the last ten years.
According to Variety, the last time Cavill played Superman was in the post-credits scene of ‘Black Adam,’ which foreshadowed the actor’s declaration that he was “back as Superman” a day before Gunn and Safran were hired to oversee DC.
As word spread that Gunn was penning a new Superman film, Cavill said on December 14 that he would not, in fact, be playing the last son of Krypton again.
Johnson, in comparison, recently made his DC debut with “Black Adam,” which debuted in theatres in October to underwhelming box office results, casting doubt on the possibility of a sequel just a few weeks after its release.
Here’s Johnson’s statement in full:
My passionate friends,
I wanted to give you a long-awaited Black Adam update regarding the character’s future in the new DC Universe.
James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling. However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.
James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed. 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. These decisions made by James and DC leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens.
After 15 years of relentless hard work to finally make Black Adam, I’m very proud of the film we delivered for fans worldwide. I will always look back on the fan reaction to Black Adam with tremendous gratitude, humility and love.
We did great.
To my very passionate and vocal Black Adam/Super Hero genre fans – I love you, THANK YOU, and I will ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOU and do my best to deliver and entertain you.
What a helluva month – now we all need some Teremana!
Have a productive week and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and your families!
DJ (ANI)