DC Comics superheroes Black Adam, Superman, and Shazam have always had conflicting intentions, but not quite this way. As it turns out, Dwayne Johnson, also known as “The Rock,” is said to have been pressuring DC Studios for creative decisions as he debuted his long-awaited debut in the genre. the dominant comic-movie type, TheWrap report Tuesday.
First, some comic background: Zachary Levi played Shazam, the quirky but powerful superhero in the movie of the same name, which was a modest hit in 2019. But Shazam is a traditional rival. of Johnson’s Black Adam, his own character. bombed movie in 2022 and the strange thing is that there is no Levi. Now Levi’s runs into the character for the second time, in Shazam! wrath of the godsdebuted last week and ineffective at the box office, with disastrous reviews — and no sign of the original Black Adam.
Johnson’s plan to be the pinnacle of the DC universe backfired in just a few months when both he and the previous decade’s Superman, Henry Cavill, were unexpectedly fired last December. DC Film Studio. Now, the latest offer from DC is so heavily bombed that some critics think it doesn’t. Tick. The film is for estimation purposes only 30.5 million USD in its opening weekend — much less than the $53.5 million that the first installment in the series made in its opening weekend. Looks like The Rock has a bit to do with that, too.
Johnson is said to have rejected the idea of sharing screen space with Levi in a post-credits scene, typically a brief but crucial sequence at the end of most superhero movies intended to tease a movie. coming out in the series. When promoting Black Adam, Johnson promotes his confrontation with Superman played by Cavill, weakening “Shazam” in the eyes of the public. And Levi seems to have confirmed the bad blood on social media, retweeting a story for him Instagram About TheWrap’s reports of Johnson’s refusal to work with him.
“Dwayne tries to advertise himself as bigger than the movie,” said one Hollywood executive TheWrap in anonymous form. “Rather than making a movie, he wanted to expand his brand and create a brand that focused on himself.”
Even when DC first embarked on a Shazam origin story movie, Black Adam still means to cooperate in there. But Johnson wanted his own movie about the evil superhero, and that’s what happened in the end. Part of the reason why that’s unsettling is because Shazam and Black Adam’s characters have gone head-to-head on multiple occasions. in DC Comics. The two are connected by their superpowers, which come from the Greek and Egyptian gods, respectively. Black Adam and Superman also have a history. So it’s only natural that when Black Adam finally comes out in 2022, he’ll clash with Shazam and Superman at some point in the future.
But for now, the fates of two of those three characters are undecided (or at least unannounced).
And despite The Rock’s best efforts to make himself the new giant of the DC Universe who could take on “Man of Steel,” Black Adam did not meet expectations.
Sure, there have been some changes to DC’s superhero universe that don’t involve Johnson, but are part of the studio’s larger soul-searching quest. Since James Gunn and Peter Safran Take on the leadership role of DC’s film, television, and animation divisions October last year (just a few days after Black Adam was released), they changed the list of movies they have planned for the coming years.
The reorganization affects a number of planned films. amazing woman 3, starring Gal Gadot, was cancelled, leaving many loose ends for her character in the series. Safran is also called widely awaited Bat girl the film was scrapped before the new heads took over,”unreliable,” backs the previous management decision to ditch it. The sequel to Speed And aquatic expected release later this year, while new Superman And Batman The movie will come out in 2025.
Representatives at DC Studios did not return immediately Luckrequest comment.
It’s a tough time for Hollywood, which is seeing a lot shake in dynamics. The writers threatened to go on strike if they weren’t paid more, but the companies refused to budge. A potential strike could lead to a massive shake-up in the number of new movies and TV shows, which have spiked in recent years following the rise of streaming platforms.
