So far, the movies of the DC Extended Universe — as it would come to be known — have brought some of the most iconic superheroes of all time back onto the big screen, along with some other superheroes making their debuts. The latter will be the case for the title character of BLACK ADAM.
The anticipation for this fan-favorite character’s cinematic debut truly could not be higher, especially with how long audiences have been waiting to see the film become a reality. In fact, we will expand on that detail and plenty more in the following breakdown of everything you need to know about the BLACK ADAM movie, starting with when it finally storms into theatres.
Black Adam’s Release Date
The journey of bringing Black Adam to the big screen actually dates back all the way to the early 2000s, when New Line Cinema first discussed making a movie focused on his on-and-off nemesis, Shazam — formerly known as Captain Marvel. Fast forward to 2014, when said film went into development with the intention of including Black Adam as the main antagonist, before giving him his own movie instead and possibly bringing the characters together later.
By then, there were actually plans to have the character make his DCEU debut as a small part of what eventually became James Gunn’s THE SUICIDE SQUAD, before that idea was scrapped and New Line announced BLACK ADAM would go into production in 2019, only to be delayed until the following year. The release date was also delayed a few times before it was set for October 21, 2022.
Black Adam’s First Big Screen Appearance
As previously established, BLACK ADAM will be the big screen debut of the titular character. However, his existence in the DCEU was previously hinted at in SHAZAM! by Djimon Honsou’s Wizard.
Some may recognize Black Adam from his appearances in animated TV shows like “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” and “Young Justice,” or as a playable character in the popular DC-based video game “Injustice: Gods Among Us.” One of his more prominent on-screen appearances is in 2010’s 25-minute animated film, SUPERMAN/SHAZAM!: THE RETURN OF BLACK ADAM, in which he is voiced by THE MUMMY star Arnold Vosloo, which is an intriguing coincidence considering who is playing the character in the upcoming movie.
Dwayne Johnson Is The Man In Black
After starring in two video game movies, one blockbuster based on a toy line and countless other action franchises, it is hard to believe that Dwayne Johnson is finally starring in his first comic book adaptation in 2022. That movie is DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS — coming to theatres on July 29 — in which he voices Superman’s dog, Krypto, but he is making his live-action superhero movie debut in the title role of BLACK ADAM.
The wrestler-turned-actor otherwise known as The Rock has actually been attached to the character before his own solo movie was greenlit, and was even previously considered for the title role of SHAZAM! before deciding on the darker comic book hero instead. Actually, Black Adam is so dark that fans hesitate to call him a hero at all, depending on what stage of his life you are referring to.
Black Adam Is A Different Kind Of Hero
The Black Adam moniker has actually belonged to two different characters in the DC Comics Universe — Teth-Adam and his descendant Theo-Adam — but Dwayne Johnson is portraying the former. The former slave-turned-tyrannical leader of the fictional country Kahndaq has a set of godly abilities — such as speed, strength and electronic blasts — bestowed upon him by six Egyptian deities, which he can access by shouting the word “Shazam!”
That is, of course, the same word that Billy Batson must shout to access his own powers — reason being that Teth-Adam was the wizard Shazam’s previous champion, which is also why they have been traditionally depicted as archnemeses. However, since Black Adam was reimagined as more of an anti-hero than a villain, he and Shazam have also been known to fight alongside each other. Yet, the red-clad superhero is not his only ally.
Who Is The JSA?
Following his anti-heroic reformation, Black Adam was — to many comic book readers’ surprise — invited to join the Justice Society of America. The alliance of Golden Age DC superheroes, which actually predates the more well-known Justice League by a few decades, will also be making their big screen debut in BLACK ADAM.
Admittedly, we will not be seeing all of the heroes that were originally brought together by writer Gardner Fox, illustrator Everett E. Hibbard and editor Sheldon Mayer in 1940 — such as the original Flash, Jay Gerrick, or Alan Scott’s Green Lantern. Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan portrays master of sorcerer Doctor Fate, Aldis Hodge is the winged Hawkman, Quintessa Swindell plays wind-manipulator Cyclone and as Teth-Adam’s buddy Atom Smasher, who can grow to gargantuan size, we have Noah Cinteneo.
Jaume Collet-Serra Directs Black Adam
As established, BLACK ADAM will be the first live-action comic book movie for many of the notable names involved, including Dwayne Johnson himself in the title role. The same also goes for the film’s director, Jaume Collet-Serra, who signed on to helm the blockbuster in mid-2019.
The Spanish-born filmmaker is better known for making action movies with Liam Neeson — namely UNKNOWN, NON-STOP, RUN ALL NIGHT and THE COMMUTER — or freaky thrillers like 2005’s HOUSE OF WAX remake, ORPHAN or THE SHALLOWS with Blake Lively. However, he has also made a drama about soccer called GOAL II: LIVING THE DREAM and debuted with a music video for Enrique Iglesias in 1998. He last worked with Johnson on Disney’s JUNGLE CRUISE, which convinced the actor he was the right choice to direct him as Black Adam.
As the story of an anti-heroic former slave’s vengeful journey to protect his country by any means necessary that is helmed by a filmmaker known for directing creepy horror movies and intense action thrillers, there is a chance that BLACK ADAM could be the darkest chapter in the DC Extended Universe yet. And, yes, I am including BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, THE SUICIDE SQUAD and the R-rated ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE in that mix. That is all the more reason to look forward to the moment it hits theatres in the fall of 2022.
