Dwayne Johnson finally lifted the not-so-subtle veil of secrecy surrounding his ‘mystery’ DC Comics role yesterday, when he officially announced that he will portray Black Adam in Warner Bros. upcoming SHAZAM movie. Although the announcement came as no surprise, it still presented some incredibly exciting prospects for the future of DC Entertainment’s planned cinematic universe.
Now however, it appears that SHAZAM will stand on its own without connecting to Warner Btos. budding JUSTICE LEAGUE/MAN OF STEEL universe. A brand new interview with producer Toby Emmerich seems to confirm that the upcoming superhero flick will be produced by New Line, rather than it’s parent company of Warner Bros. Although it is still possible that Shazam and Black Adam could cross paths with Superman and the rest of the League, Emmerich’s wording does cast some doubt over that possibility. Check it out below:
‘It feels to me like Shazam will have a tone unto itself. It’s a DC comic, but it’s not a Justice League character, and it’s not a Marvel comic. The tone and the feeling of the movie will be different from the other range of comic book movies’.
‘The movie will have a sense of fun and a sense of humor. But the stakes have to be real’.
In regards to Dwayne Johnson’s role as Black Adam, Emmerich stated:
‘Black Adam is a complex character. The villain in superhero movies is often, I think, what makes the movie. And I thought Dwayne’s take on the character, and the way that he saw Black Adam, was really compelling and fun’.
It seems that Warner and DC’s solution to their lack of superhero films (compared to Marvel), is to hand over the reigns of some adaptations to their subsidiary studios. In this instance, SHAZAM may be produced by New Line in order to give Warner Bros. the breathing room needed to frequently produce Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman films. Emmerich’s remarks regarding the tone of SHAZAM also indicate that the film will strike a balance between the lighthearted tone of Marvel and the dark, gritty tone of MAN OF STEEL/THE DARK KNIGHT trilogy.
If the success of this summers GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY has proved anything, it’s that audiences are willing to try something new where the superhero genre is concerned. However, New Line will have to tread carefully in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of GREEN LANTERN if they do intend to create another powerhouse franchise to rival Marvel Studios. Having said that, Dwayne Johnson has successfully demonstrated his popularity with audiences in the past few years, and his name is more than enough to build studio confidence.
Check back with THN for further updates on SHAZAM.
Source: EW
