Last month, a rumor swirled that Dwayne Johnson’sBlack Adamwon’t be featured in the upcomingShazam!movie, but instead will get his own spin-off, which has now been confirmed byShazamdirector David F. Sandberg. The director, who is promoting his new thrillerAnnabelle: Creation, confirmed that Dwayne Johnson has in fact been cast as Black Adam, and that there were earlier scripts that did feature the character in this movie, but now it will solely focus on theShazam!character. Here’s what the director had to say below.
“So,The Rockhas been cast as Black Adam, but he’s not going to be featured in this film. There’ve been variations of the script, like before I came along, where, you know, variations where Black Adam was in and out and, you know. But now, this is about Shazam.”
During his interview withFilm Riot, the filmmaker also confirmed a recent report thatShazam is the next DC movieto go into production, followingAquaman, although he wouldn’t specify when and where the filming will take place. It was originally believed that movies such as Ben Affleck’sThe BatmanorGotham City Sirensmay get the jump onShazam!, but now the director has confirmed it will be the next DC movie to go into production. The initial report claimed filming will start in February 2018, although that date wasn’t confirmed yet, and there is still a lot to be done before then, such as casting the title character and the rest off the supporting cast. When asked about whatShazam!comics he’s been reading in preparation for this new directorial gig, David F. Sandberg had this to say.
“I’m taking it all in. Some of those really old ones are quite fun, when he’s, like, fighting Hitler. Stuff like that. No, ‘cause he’s been around since the ’40s for, like, as long as Superman. So there’s a lot to read and that’s also interesting because he sort of has a couple of different origin stories or a couple of different takes on it. You know, you have the most recent sort ofGeoff Johnsversion and then you have Ordwell version and then you have those really old versions. It’s going to be interesting, just because how hardcore the fans are. Already, if I tweet a little something, suddenly there’s blog post, and no matter what you do, some people will be disappointed.”
David F. Sandbergcame aboard to direct back in February, with Henry Gayden (Earth to Echo) writing the script. If production does in fact begin in February 2018, then it’s certainly possible the director and studio could hit the August 05, 2025 release date that was set several years ago, and believed to be set aside for this movie, although it has yet to be confirmed. StillShazam!could also take either the August 10, 2025 or the August 06, 2025 dates that were set aside by Warner Bros. last month.
