In the DC Comics canon, Black Adam is traditionally a villain of Shazam and has similar powers to the hero—who was played by Zachary Levi in the 2019 film of the same name. In recent years, Black Adam has been portrayed as more of an anti-hero and less of a full-on supervillain, which could be a clue as to how Johnson will play the character in the upcoming movie.
While technically this isn’t the first comic book character Johnson’s played—he appeared as Roadblock in 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation—his role as Black Adam is the first traditional comic book role. Here’s what you need to know about Johnson’s upcoming Black Adam film.
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Per Bernal
The Cast
As of now, only Johnson’s been cast. But with production starting in 2020, casting should heat up soon.
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Johnson is Very Familiar With His Director
Johnson must have enjoyed working on the 2020 film Jungle Cruise, as he brought in his director on that film, Jaume-Collet Serra, to helm Black Adam. After the news was announced, Johnson wrote that he was “very impressed with [Serra’s] passion, work ethic, style, vision, tone and quality” on Jungle Cruise and that he’s “hungry to break new ground with Black Adam and give the fans something very cool and special.” Larry Sher, who shot the billion-dollar-grossing Joker movie and Johnson’s Jungle Cruise, will serve as cinematographer.
Johnson first signed to the role of Black Adam back in 2014 and a film has been in development for over a decade. It was expected that he’d appear in a Shazam! movie or another DC superhero film before getting his own. But in January 2017, New Line Cinema and DC Entertainment announced that Shazam and Black Adam would each star in their own respective blockbusters, with Johnson teasing that the movies would be full of “hope, optimism & fun.”
Black Adam Will (Most Likely) Crossover With Zachary Levi’s Shazam
With the characters being so closely connected in the comic books, it’s likely only a matter of time before Zachary Levi’s Shazam and Johnson’s Black Adam appear in a movie together. The Shazam! sequel is officially in development, although no release date has been set.
Black Adam Was Referenced Multiple Times in ‘Shazam!’
Even though Black Adam didn’t physically appear in Shazam!, the character was referenced multiple times in the movie. During the early part of the film, Billy Batson (Asher Angel) ends up in the Rock of Eternity room and learns from the Wizard (Djimon Hounsou) about the powers of Shazam and the history of the Council of Wizards. The Wizard mentions that the Council once had a previous champion before Billy, but that he became corrupt and used his powers for revenge. That champion was Black Adam. The other reference is in a deleted scene, which shows Shazam (Levi) and his fellow Shazam family members taking their seats in the Rock of Eternity room, which has seven thrones. But only six are filled, leaving one empty… hinting that Black Adam is out there.
Here’s a look at the deleted scene:
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Johnson’s Black Adam May Not Be a Total Supervillain
While the story of Black Adam is being kept under wraps, Johnson has hinted that his version of the character may not be a full-on bad guy, as he traditionally is in the comics. Producer Hiram Garcia, the production president at Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, said in an interview with ComicBook.com: “Well, you’re going to meet a character who’s going through a journey. He was created as a villain. And through the love of the fans and through some great writers and storytellers, he evolved into an antihero. The antihero is a character that we always loved and that we responded to. But we understand that there’s been many aspects to Black Adam through him. And ultimately he is a guy that everything has always been driven by his family and what happens to them. And he is never opposed to unleashing hell when you cross him. So I think when you add in those elements of that DNA, those are things we’re very aware of.”
Like Shazam, Black Adam has some major powers bestowed on him through magic including superhuman strength, stamina, invulnerability, genius intellect, expert fighting skills, the power of flight, and the ability to control lighting.
