The bad news is Black Adam is done. The good news is Black Adam is done.
Depending on what you thought about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s superhero movie Black Adam, this is either an outrage or a reprieve.
As part of the wave of changes happening at DC Studios under the new leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran, Johnson has revealed that any plans for future Black Adam movies won’t be moving ahead, at least not anytime soon.
Johnson shared on social media, “James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling. However, DC and [Johnson’s production company] Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilised in future DC multiverse chapters.
“James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed. It’s no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and win big.
“You guys know me, and I have very thick skin – and you can always count on me to be direct with my words.
“These decisions made by James and DC leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens.”
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in Black Adam. Photo / Warner Bros
Johnson went on to say he was proud of the Black Adam movie released in October, and paid tribute to the passionate fans of the character and of the superhero genre.
Johnson spent 15 years trying to get Black Adam made at various stages, and bringing the character to screen has been a passion project. So, scrapping any more Black Adam projects – at least for now – is a humiliating blow.
As was Black Adam’s performance, which amassed only a 39 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a US$391 million global box office.
The production budget was pegged at somewhere between US$190 million and US$250 million, and once you factor in marketing and distribution costs, which would tip close to US$100 million, and the cinemas’ share of ticket prices, the studio hasn’t broken even yet.
The eventual financial success of the movie has become a point of contention.
Industry bible Variety ran an article based on insider sources which claimed Black Adam stands to lose between US$50 million and US$100 million for Warner Bros, given it hasn’t reached its break-even point of US$600 million.
Warner later disputed this figure and said break-even was US$450 million before ancillary revenue such as streaming subscription sign-ups or digital rentals and sales.
Online publication Deadline went further, writing that the film was due to turn a profit of at least US$52 million. Johnson shared that article as a gesture of vindication.
But Matt Belloni, the respected former editor of The Hollywood Reporter, wrote in his newsletter for Puck that the Deadline report was filled with “false assumptions” and Warner executives had accused Johnson’s team of leaking the bad information to Deadline.
The they-said-they-said saga doesn’t change the fact that Black Adam, no matter how the financials shake out, wasn’t a hit either commercially or critically. Which makes the decision to rest the character an easy one, despite Johnson’s personal popularity.
Gunn tweeted Johnson’s statement, adding, “Love The Rock and I’m always excited to see what he and Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to collaborate soon.”
While Gunn and Johnson have both made overtures about continuing the Black Adam story, it’s far from a sure thing.
Gunn and Safran were hired by Warner Bros in October to revamp the troubled DC screen division. DC has always struggled to present a coherent universe the way rival Marvel has successfully done under the leadership of producer Kevin Feige.
Gunn and Safran’s tenure so far has involved wide-sweeping changes that has already claimed a few scalps.
Gal Gadot will not returning as Wonder Woman in a third movie. Photo / Warner Bros
The first to publicly bite it was Wonder Woman 3, after it was revealed director Patty Jenkins’ proposal for another instalment was rejected, bringing an end to her and Gal Gadot’s time at DC.
Wonder Woman grossed US$822 million, setting a then record for the most money made by a movie with a solo female director. The sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, was less financially successful, released during the pandemic with a box office of US$169 million.
Cavill made a cameo appearance in Black Adam, something Johnson claimed credit for, which teased the possibility of his return to DC after five years away.
Gunn confirmed he is writing a new Superman movie which will feature a younger version of the character most recently played by Cavill.
Axing these versions of Superman, Wonder Woman and Black Adam is unlikely to be the final word on Gunn and Safran’s new vision for DC movies.
There are three unreleased films involving characters that were created under director Zack Snyder’s divisive DC screen universe – Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash – which will be out next year.
It’s possible Gunn and Safran may continue some of those stories but it’s just as likely the duo will want to start with a blank slate instead of being saddled with legacy characters.
