Black Adamdirector Jaume Collet-Serra has teased the oncoming battle between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s all-powerful antihero and the Justice Society of America (JSA), who are due to make their big-screen debut in the DC outing. Speaking withTotal Film, the filmmaker behindBlack Adamhas offered some insight into the JSA’s role in proceedings, as well as explaining why he decided to use them as a “fresh way” into his superhero offering.
“You have a couple of seasoned veterans, like Hawkman and Doctor Fate, and you have a couple of newbies like Atom Smasher and Cyclone. And that chemistry and coming together to attempt to defeat someone who’s undefeatable like Black Adam, creates a lot of interesting situations without having the pressure to carry the whole movie. That’s a much more fresh way in.”
Debuting during the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Justice Society of America was the first team of superheroes in comic books, and has been made up of such DC heavy hitters as Doctor Fate,Green Lantern, and The Spectre. The roster due to take on The Rock’sBlack Adamincludes Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, who can control his molecular structure and manipulate his size and strength; Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, an archaeologist with the power of flight; Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, who can control wind and generate sound; and finally, Pierce Brosnan as Kent Nelson AKA Doctor Fate, who uses sorcery skills and possesses the magical Helmet of Fate.
DirectorJaume Collet-SerraseesBlack Adam, and the inclusion of the JSA, as an interesting angle into the comic book movie genre. “I like to be challenged, and I wanted to create new technology, so we developed the way [Adam] moves, the way that he flies, his costume,” he explained. “And then it trickled down to every other character and the movie itself. But there was always the goal – to be new and unique in the storytelling in every aspect of it.”
An adaptation ofBlack Adamhas been in development for so long that it’s hard to believe it’s really, finally happening. The movie will see Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam AKA Black Adam, an antihero from Kahndaq who is imprisoned for 5,000 years. After casting off the shackles of enslavement, Teth-Adam is chosen by the wizard Shazam to harness the powers of the ancient Egyptian Gods. S for the stamina of Shu, H for the swiftness of Horus, A for the strength of Amon, Z for the wisdom of Zehuti, A for the power of Aten, and M for the courage of Mehen, Black Adam goes on to become the archenemy of the superheroShazamand his super-powered family.
IfThe Rockgets his way, the JSA won’t be the only superheroes he does battle with on-screen, with the hulking actor hoping to one day throw down with Superman. “So to me, there’s a battle that’s going to go down one day, between Black Adam and Superman,” Johnson said. “I don’t know who that Superman is going to be, and I don’t know who’s going to play him. That’s OK. I don’t need to know right now. But I’m confident in knowing that [laughs]. And that’s based out of what fans want. We worked backwards from there.”
Black Adamis scheduled to be released in movie theaters in the United States on July 03, 2025.
