Sony Pictures is in the middle of damage control following possibly the worst corporate hack in history, which revealed – among many, many other things – the confused state of their Spider-Man franchise. Meanwhile, things have been relatively quiet on the DC/Warner Bros. side, other than an update on the role ofJeremy Irons’ Alfred in Batman v Superman and a potential director for Aquaman.
One title we still know next to nothing about is Shazam. It has Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson locked for the role of the source material’s perennial villain Black Adam, it has a confirmed 2019 release, but no announced director, screenwriter or lead actor named for the title character – though we have some ideas on who could play the role.
Johnson once again refers to Black Adam as an “anti-hero,” a distinction he made when announcing he had landed the role. Many fans think of Black Adam as Shazam’s arch-nemesis, but his role has ever been more complex than that. The character previously held the power of Shazam, but proved violent and abusive – and perhaps most importantly, he does not think of himself as a villain.
Like Michael Shannon’s Zod in Man of Steel, it sounds like Black Adam would consider his perspective and actions as not evil but necessary to protect his interests. A “ruthless” and “charming” Black Adam was probably always a given, with Johnson announced for the role ahead of even a release date.
Could The Rock’s charisma potentially over-shadow whoever ends up cast as Shazam? Might that possibly be the point?
If Shazam really isn’t connected to the inter-connected Justice League universe - despite DC’s careful positioning of Shazam in the New 52 comic book Justice League universe – upending the property by focusing on Black Adam for a good chunk of time would be a real departure from many of the other comic book movies, and provide us with potentially the most well-rounded villain in recent memory.
What do you think, Screen Ranters? Are you looking forward to seeing Johnson take on the role of Black Adam?
Shazam will be released in theaters on April 5th, 2019.
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