Dwayne Johnson announced that Black Adam 2 won’t be going ahead any time soon, becoming the latest casualty of the DC Studios shakeup led by James Gunn and Peter Safran. This news follows Henry Cavill’s exit from the role of Superman last week, and the cancellation of Wonder Woman 3 the week before.
At this point, it may be safest to assume most previously planned DC films aren’t proceeding unless we hear otherwise.
“James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling,” Johnson wrote in a text screenshot shared to Twitter. “However, DC and [Johnson’s production company] Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters…. These decisions made by James and DC leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens.”
Gunn confirmed the news by retweeting Johnson’s statement, adding, “Love @TheRock & I’m always excited to see what he & Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to collaborate soon.”
Though Johnson has taken the news like a champ, it’s probably more than a little upsetting for him. Black Adam was Johnson’s passion project, with the actor having wanted to play the role for at least a decade and a half. Johnson had actively pushed for the film to be made for years, so to see his take on DC’s anti-hero shelved after just one outing is likely a sore disappointment.
“After 15 years of relentless hard work to finally make Black Adam, I’m very proud of the film we delivered for fans worldwide,” wrote Johnson. “I will always look back on the fan reaction to Black Adam with tremendous gratitude, humility and love.”
There is still a glimmer of hope for Johnson’s Black Adam. Unlike Cavill, Johnson doesn’t appear to have been ejected from the role, meaning it’s possible that he could return to DC’s films further in the future. Unfortunately, Black Adam clearly isn’t the new DC Studios’ immediate priority, so Johnson could be in for another long wait.
