With the DC cinematic universe expanding, Dwayne Johnson has shared another picture from his own film where he plays DC’s anti-Shazam,Black Adam.
The storied actor is a fan favorite from his wrestling days to his early breakouts in theMummyfranchise, to becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest and most reliable box office stars. The highly-anticipatedBlack Adamhas been under scrutiny for a while now, so it was a delight to see Johnson take to social media to post a black and white behind-the-scenes shot of his character and offer praise for what the role has meant to him.
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Johnson hasoffered reveals of his Black Adam costumein the past, glimpses here and there from behind-the-scenes photo shoots or a magazine cover or two. However, now that he’s finishing up the film, he’s decided to put out an artsier black and white shot, anchored by a lighting rig and a microphone in the frame, of him in full Black Adam costume standing on a stung rig and staring intensely into the camera. The film was being buttoned up even as he posted the picture to his official Instagram page
Mohamed Diab, director of the Disney PlusMoon Knightseries, recently criticized the filmmakers behindBlack Adamfor not hiring Egyptian talent. The character, who has his origins in DC’s fictional equivalent of Egypt (or a culture that borrows so heavily from Egyptian aesthetics as to make no difference), is nevertheless of great significance to Johnson. “Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of playing some great (fun) characters over the years, but none speak to my DNA more than this antihero known as the man in black, Teth Adam," he said.
Johnson’s first major film role (after some bit parts inStar Trek: VoyagerandThat ‘70s Show) was as the villainous Scorpion King in the smash-hit sequel,The Mummy Returns. WithBlack Adam, he now gets to shed some of his goody-two-shoes image. The guy’s literally played the tooth fairy, after all, so it’s going to be quite a wild ride for audiences to see him cause some real havoc for the heroes of the DC universe and do it with some real menace.
Johnson ended his post by saying, “Rage against the dying of the light. The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change.” As he’s already gone on record sayinghe hopes to fight Superman someday, and there’s been speculation about Black Adam going toe-to-toe (sandal-to-boot?) with Wonder Woman, this would be a major shakeup indeed. All that’s left now is to see ifBlack Adamsmells what The Rock is cooking.
Black Adamis scheduled to be released in theaters on August 08, 2025.
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