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The DC movie Black Adam recently wrapped production ahead of its 2022 release. Here’s everything we know about it so far.
Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest movie stars in the world, so it’s surprising that it’s taken him until now to star in a superhero film. Of course, he’s been busy with many other projects, but with the ongoing popularity of superhero movies, it was only a matter of time before he headlined one.
The character that Dwayne Johnson has chosen to play–the superpowered DC antihero Black Adam–might not be one of the best-known comic book characters, but it’s clear that the star has been passionate about the role for a long time. Way back in 2007, Johnson was approached to play Shazam in a movie, but instead revealed he was more interested in playing the film’s villain, Black Adam, instead. “He’s a character that I can’t wait to play,” he said at the time.
Shazam sat in development for many years, but in 2014, it was confirmed that Johnson would still play Black Adam. Of course, by then he was too big a star just to play a bad guy supporting role, so in 2017, Black Adam became a standalone DC movie. The film was officially announced in 2019, with a 2021 release date. Inevitably, production was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in April this year, the cameras finally started rolling on Black Adam. So here’s what we know to date:
What’s the release date?
Black Adam is scheduled for release on July 29, 2022. The fifth Indiana Jones movie is also currently set to hit theaters that day, so it’s possible one of these films will end up moving.
Who’s in the cast?
The main cast of Black Adam has been announced. While all of these actors will be playing notable characters from the DC universe, this will be the first time any have been portrayed in a movie. The line-up so far is:
Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam / Black AdamPierce Brosnan as Kent Nelson / Doctor FateNoah Centineo (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) as Atom SmasherAldis Hodge (One Night in Miami) as HawkmanSarah Shahi (City on a Hill) as Adrianna TomazQuintessa Swindell (In Treatment) as Cyclone
There are also unconfirmed roles for Marwan Kenzari, James Cusati-Moyer, Bodhi Sabongui, Mo Amer, and Uli Latukefu.
What’s the story?
While specifics of Black Adam’s story are still under wraps, we know a few details. The movie is essentially a spin-off from the Shazam movies–in DC’s comic books, Black Adam is Shazam’s nemesis, an antihero who takes a darker and more violent approach to the superhero life. His real name is Teth-Adam, the son of an Egyptian Pharaoh who was given the same powers as Shazam, but becomes corrupted. Reportedly, the movie won’t soften Black Adam’s violent nature, with director Jaume Collet-Serra telling Variety that we’ll be seeing a darker character than Johnson traditionally plays.
The movie will also feature members of the Justice Society of America, the classic DC superhero team, namely Atom Smasher, Hawkman, Cyclone, and Doctor Fate. We also know the criminal gang Intergang will feature. Sarah Shahi told The Hollywood Reporter, “I play a character named Adrianna, and she’s a freedom fighter that’s leading this big resistance against an evil, malicious group called Intergang.” In comics, Intergang is a dangerous group armed with technology supplied by the evil New Gods.
Who’s the director?
Black Adam is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. This is the second collaboration between Spanish-American director Collet-Serra and Dwayne Johnson, following this year’s Disney hit Jungle Cruise. Collet-Serra is also known for several action thrillers starring Liam Neeson, including Unknown, Non-Stop, and The Commuter, plus the shark thriller The Shallows and the horror movie Orphan.
Who are the writers?
Black Adam is written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani. Haines and Noshirvani also wrote this year’s acclaimed thriller The Mauritanian, while Haines’ credits include Johnson’s 2018 movie Rampage and last year’s animated Scooby-Doo movie Scoob!
Is there any footage or images?
The movie only just finished production, so we’ve not seen any official images or footage yet. However, as usual, Johnson kept fans updated with progress on the film via Instagram and has released several behind-the-scenes clips and images over the past few months. These included this shot of a huge, destroyed set, Johnson getting painted with mo-cap tracking dots, and a video of the actor thanking the movie’s crew on his final day of shooting.
