Dwayne Johnson promises that his portrayal of DC Comics' Black Adam is unlike any of the previous roles that he has played throughout his career. Johnson will portray the supervillain/anti-hero ruler of Kahndaq following a long history of interest in the role. Jaume Collet-Serra's Black Adam is currently slated for release on October 1, 2022.
Created by Otto Binder and C.C Beck for Fawcett Comics prior to the company's acquisition by DC Comics, Teth-Adam is the ruler of Kahndaq who was gifted with incredible powers by the wizard Shazam. Despite having the same powers as the hero Shazam, Black Adam chose to use the powers for his own purposes, leading to his imprisonment until being reawakened in the modern era and becoming Shazam's archenemy. In Collet-Serra's film, Johnson's Black Adam is awoken from his imprisonment and quickly attracts the attraction of the Justice Society of America, who take issue with Black Adam's brutal, gruesome tactics and darker morality and hope to set him on a heroic path. With Black Adam's unforgiving, darker nature, Johnson has emphasized how the character is unlike any other character he's portrayed.
As reported by GamesRadar, Johnson revealed to Total Film that Black Adam is unlike any other character audiences may have seen the actor portray across his career. The star explained that Black Adam's grayer, dubious morality would challenge the audience's perspectives on whether he is a hero or villain, so Johnson hoped to bring that element to the forefront of his portrayal. While Black Adam may have elements that audiences would associate with the actor, Johnson emphasized that the character is a complete departure from any character he's played. Check out Johnson's response below.
"I think Black Adam is going to be a departure from what people have seen of me onscreen over the decades.
I wanted to make sure that I brought Black Adam to life, knowing that it was a departure from what I had played before in the past, because there’s a lot of elements about Black Adam that are dependent on your perspective. Is he a supervillain? Is he an antihero? To some, he is just a straight-up superhero. There are just natural elements, I think, in me, that are part of my DNA that we see in the character of Black Adam. [But] it is a departure from anything that I’ve played before in the past. A complete departure.”
While Johnson agreed to play Black Adam in 2014, the actor has a long history with the character's cinematic development. Johnson first expressed interest in playing Black Adam in 2006, leading to a warm reception to the idea by fans at the time. While little progress would be made for nearly a decade, producer Hiram Garcia explained that Johnson had been keen on joining the superhero genre for some time in 2018, with the producer seeing him as a good fit for the character while also clearly being passionate about the role.
With Johnson's long involvement throughout Black Adam's long journey from page to screen, it is clear that the character holds a great deal of importance to the star. While Collet-Serra promises a break from typical superhero origins, Black Adam is also a clear departure for the actor himself, who has predominantly played heroic, less antagonistic characters when in the leading role in his acting career. With Black Adam set to finally make his live-action debut, fans of Johnson's are sure to be keen on seeing the actor take on a darker, more dubious role.
Source: GamesRadar
