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Dwayne Johnson to Play Black Adam in Shazam Movie

By Danny F. Santos (doddleNEWS)

For a long while, Dwayne Johnson has been associated with a DC Comics film. There were a bunch of rumors as to who he would be playing, which ranged from Lobo to the John Stewart Green Lantern. Then we started hearing about him being attached as either Shazam, or his nemesis Black Adam.

Huh. Well, I’m big enough of a person to admit when I’m wrong, since I was absolutely convinced that Dwayne Johnson would be playing Shazam. Turns out he is, in fact, playing Black Adam and confirmed it on Twitter.

“Kneel at his feet or get crushed by his boot.” My honor to become.. #BlackAdam #TheAntiHero #DCComics pic.twitter.com/Qk55eNf3R7

Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 3, 2014

 

Variety is also reporting that Darren Lemke?(Jack the Giant Slayer) is writing the screenplay that Johnson?is set to star in. The interesting question is whether the script is already completed, or close to being completed. Johnson had implied in late August that there was a completed screenplay when he spoke to Brazilian site Omelete:

I am 100% sure that the movie will happen. [We've been] talking about it since 2008, when I was offered the role first. It was just a matter of finding the right script -- and it finally happened now. We have a writer who understood the story and brought an amazing approach not only to Shazam, but also the power of Adam Black.

Admittedly, my understanding of Portuguese is a bit rough, and that is a Google-translated version of the quote, but it points to a completed screenplay. I’m uncertain if Johnson has any part to play in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but it does point to the possibility that the next film out of the gate could be a Shazam?movie.

The core comic book Justice League roster did not include Shazam during the New 52 reboot, though he did join later, so it’s possible that they could shoot both Justice League and Shazam in the same year without overworking any of the actors.

Back in April, it was revealed that Zack Snyder was tapped to direct Justice League, and we presumed that would be the next film. However, in August Warner Bros. released a series of nine DC Entertainment films, marking the next DC film after Dawn of Justice with an August 2016 date. Considering it takes at least two to three years to script, film, and edit a movie, I’m pegging March 23, 2018 as the release date for Justice League leaving three open dates between it and Batman V Superman. And March will most certainly be a great month for Batman V Superman in 2016.

My best guess that Shazam and the Joseph Gordon-Levitt produced The Sandman are two of the three properties that will premiere between the two films. The third movie is anyone’s guess, but if reports about Warner Bros. fast-tracking Aquaman with Jason Momoa end up being true, then I would place that film in those three as well, since his part in Dawn of Justice is apparently nothing more than a glorified cameo.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opens March 25, 2016.

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