News Movie News

Dwayne Johnson Says Black Adam Will Not Appear In 'First Chapter' Of The New DC Universe

Dwayne Johnson in Black Adam Warner Bros.
By Erin Brady

The hierarchy of the DC universe is changing, but maybe not in the way this year's "Black Adam" promised it would. That's because Dwayne Johnson has confirmed that his anti-hero character won't be returning to the still-in-development DCU. At least, not yet, because there's allegedly still a chance he'll appear in future projects. According to a new statement released by the actor on Twitter, Black Adam won't be returning to the "first chapter" of the DCU. That being said, DC and his production company Seven Bucks, will apparently continue to work together to determine the best way to bring the Black Adam character back into the fold.

Johnson revealed that this decision came after a meeting between him and DC Studios co-head James Gunn. Furthermore, he expressed faith in the decisions being made by him and fellow co-head Peter Safran, saying that he will "always root for DC ... to win and WIN BIG." Capping it off, he thanked his fans for the support they have given him over the 15 years it took for "Black Adam" to hit the big screen. You can read his official statement below.

There are heroes, and there are villains

Dwayne Johnson in Black Adam Warner Bros.

The fact that Black Adam won't be a marquee character of the DC Universe as of yet isn't that surprising. The film underperformed at the box office, only racking up $391 million globally against an estimated budget of $195 million. It also didn't help that it didn't receive particularly stellar reviews, with /Film's Witney Seibold calling it "a jumbled mess of a movie that grabs great fistfuls of all-too-familiar blockbuster beats and throws them into a whirling, noisy centrifuge, hoping something cogent separates out." Underwhelming box office returns and poor reviews hadn't stopped DC from continuing its course during the Extended Universe era, but we're not in the DCEU anymore — we're in the DC Universe, and with it comes a new standard of quality. For what it's worth, James Gunn expressed on Twitter that he's looking to "collaborate soon." What that collaboration is? We likely won't know for quite some time.

This move also seems like the natural progression of events we've bared witness to over the past couple of weeks. This month, we've heard new developments such as the apparent cancelation of "Wonder Woman 3," Henry Cavill's definitive exit as Superman, and the supposed existence of a second Batman universe outside of Matt Reeves' iteration. Needless to say, it's a very strange situation at DC Studios at the moment, but the best we can hope for is that these exits and cancellations end up being for the best. On the bright side, Dwayne Johnson still has a lengthy filmography, plenty of future roles, and his Teremana tequila brand.

Recommended