A new report claims that Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson, whose DC movie has just been released worldwide, is barely hiding his distaste for Shazam behind the scenes.
Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson reportedly hates the Shazam! franchisee. After the film was stuck in development hell for years, Black Adam officially opened in theaters when Johnson’s highly anticipated antihero made its debut in the DCU (formerly known as the DCEU). Initially, the plan was to have Black Adam appear in Shazam!but Johnson at the time convinced the Warner Bros. regime to let both characters tell their origin stories separately before having a joint showdown.
In the comics, Black Adam and Shazam have been arch-rivals for decades, and while Johnson ended up sitting out Zachary Levi’s DCU movie, there were a number of hints and nods to Teth-Adam’s place in mythology. During Black Adam, the story explores the tragic backstory of the title character and how he went from a Kahndaq slave to a champion, and now a massive player in the DCU. Although Johnson’s solo film focused on the Shazam mythology, there were no lineups for a fight against Billy Batson. However, with the launch of DC Studios headed by James Gunn and Peter Safran, future movies may begin to mount that showdown.
According to TheWraphowever, there could be a potential beef between the franchises. Trades allege, based on their internal sources, that Johnson may not be Safran’s biggest fan as co-CEO of DC Studios, as the Black Adam star has a “thinly veiled contempt” for Levi’s Shazam! movies. Both Shazam! and Shazam! Anger of the gods were produced by Safran prior to the landing of the DC Studios gig with Gunn. According to the report, the producer is expected to be able to bring all the creative sides together, but not without a challenge:
Safran has to win over all the other filmmakers… and Dwayne Johnson’s thinly veiled disdain for Shazam means he probably isn’t fond of the idea that his boss is now the man who produces ‘Shazam’. Safran is pretty diplomatic, so I think he’ll make it, but it won’t be easy.
What this means for Black Adam vs. Shazam in the DCU
Until either side decides to rule on the report, there is no way to say whether the… Black Adam star has problems with Shazam!, as Johnson has never said anything bad in public about the David F. Sandberg-directed movie. What the potential Black Adam vs. As for the Shazam battle, it’s up to DC Studios to continue that storyline as they will determine the fate of DCU movies and TV shows from November 2022. In the hypothetical scenario where Johnson may have had a so-called disdain for Shazam!it may be how he felt years ago, rather than what he feels today.
Leading up to the release of Black AdamJohnson stressed multiple times that Teth-Adam and Shazam will eventually meet in the DCU, so it’s possible this new report is nothing but gossip, which isn’t uncommon in Hollywood. There have also never been any public disputes between Johnson and Levi over the years. Hopefully there is no bad blood between the Black Adam and Shazam! franchises, and the rumor that Johnson is having trouble with Levi’s DCU movie are nothing more than rumors.
Source: TheWrap
