Though there was some ambiguity in early statements from Warner Bros. execs, Dwayne Johnson has clarified that his upcoming Shazam! movie is part of the mainline DC movie universe. "One day you will see Black Adam go at it with Superman or Batman or any of the DC characters," he told Total Film. At the same time, he suggested that the picture will have an irreverent tone of its own. "Theres a great independence to Black Adam from the DC world, allowing us to inject, not only viciousness, but also winking humour. Viciousness? Maybe a bad choice of words. Black Adam is the antagonist of Shazam! and so before production can begin WB will need to find lead character Billy Batson and his superpowered alter-ego, the Shazam! of the title. According to Johnson, Adam's not a villain. "I think Black Adam is going to grow into becoming an anti-hero... As we know, Black Adam started out as a slave. When hes given the powers, he utilised them. Then in the wake of his powers, tragedy strikes, which turns his sentiment and tone in terms of psychology." Well, actors are supposed to empathise with their characters. I can understand why he might be pushing a more sympathetic reading of the role. Shazam! is scheduled for release in 2019 so there's a very long wait yet, and longer still until Black Adam can branch out and get to beating up Batman. We'll next see Mr. DJ Rock in San Andreas and The Fast and Furious 7.
Brendon Connelly has been a film writer since the early 90s, with time on the staff of Orbit Magazine, Slashfilm, Bleeding Cool, Den of Geek and many more. He's a long time teacher of film studies and practical filmmaking classes, and has directed music videos, commercials, short films and more. His favourite film is Terry Gilliam's Brazil, his favourite food is pancakes or crepes, and he tries to live his life by the teachings of Kermit the Frog.
