Dwayne Johnson has been waiting to make Black Adam happen for at least 15 years, so understandably he is excited about the prospect that it will soon be released. He’s hoping that his enthusiasm for the DC comics character will translate to the audience when the superhero movie is finally released in October.
On August 27, Johnson posted no less than five times on Instagram about a marketing strategy meeting regarding Black Adam, as if it took place in a war room, and emerged with such gems as “dominate the culture” and “he doesn’t play by the rules.”
On September 5, Johnson posted a video of him attending a test screening of the movie with a small invited audience. The caption reads; “INVALUABLE learnings and takeaways from our BLACK ADAM test screenings that I always secretly participate in. I LOVE surprising our audiences afterwards and once the emotions level out, I can take my time and really engage and learn from my number one boss – the audience. BLACK ADAM is my passion project to the bone and I’m so grateful to get these early reactions. Much work still to be done.”
Johnson has consistently emphasised that this will not be like other superhero movies, and also how dark and violent the character and the movie will be. Black Adam is an anti-hero, and could even be considered a villain. He has also played up rivalries with other heroes, such as Shazam and even Superman.
Further quotes from Johnson (and the director and producers) regarding Black Adam are that it will bring a “unique edge” to the DCEU, that the violence is “ruthless,” and that Black Adam will “rip somebody in half.”
Johnson has mainly stuck to family-friendly fare in the last decade and has become one of Hollywood’s biggest box office draws. His popular movies just within the last few years include Moana, Jumanji, Rampage, Skyscraper, and Jungle Cruise. His action movie Red Notice for Netflix will be getting sequels due to its popularity.
While we wait to find out just how ground-breaking and culture-dominating Black Adam will be, check out our guide to the best Batman villains.