Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra says Dwayne Johnson’s live-action DC Extended Universe debut will "disrupt" the superhero movie genre. Johnson has been attached to the role of Teth-Adam/Black Adam for almost a decade, teasing how his character will redefine the hierarchy of power in the DCEU. After a nixed cameo in 2019’s Shazam!, plus COVID-related production complications, Collect-Serra’s Black Adam origin film will finally introduce the character to the big screen next year.
Black Adam is one of the most powerful characters in all of DC lore and, therefore, should be a definitive character in the DCEU. As an Egyptian slave who is granted superpowers by the ancient wizard Shazam, Adam begins with decent enough intentions before his hunger for power leads to him becoming similar to those who enslaved him. Ultimately, this positions him as the arch-nemesis of the superhero Shazam and, eventually, an anti-hero. Collect-Serra’s film will likely adapt the dark side of this mythology while introducing a slew of characters to combat and possibly meet their demise at the hands of Johnson’s character. The first Black Adam footage was unveiled during DC FanDome 2021, and teased Adam in modern-day doing just that.
In a recent interview with Total Film Magazine, Collet-Serra talked about Black Adam and how it will disrupt the superhero movie genre. Audiences have been anticipating Johnson’s super-powered “hero” for quite some time and the director teases that it will be worth the wait. According to Collet-Serra, when Black Adam takes on the Justice Society of America in his solo outing, he will be a "disruptive" force. Read what Collet-Serra had to say below:
"Black Adam is a disruptor in the DC Comics world, and it has to be a disruptor in the way that we make a superhero movie ... I like to be challenged, and I wanted to create new technology, so we developed the way that [Adam] moves, the way that he flies, his costume. And then it trickled down to every other character and the movie itself. But there was always the goal – to be new and unique in the storytelling and in every aspect of it."
In the past, Johnson has teased Black Adam’s massive scale and also elaborated on the film’s use of cutting-edge technology. The actor previously shared a photo of himself having tracking dots placed on him, so VFX teams can track his muscle fibers during an action scene. Along with the post, Johnson explained how the cameras being used on set can shoot him at an impressive 960 frames per second, far higher than the usual 24 fps movies use. All of this is meant to put the Black Adam's powers of flight, super speed, and strength on display like no superhero movie has done before. If the hype is to be believed, Black Adam should revolutionize the way superpowers are portrayed on screen and allow Adam to truly redefine the hierarchy of power.
While telling Adam’s origin story, Black Adam — which wrapped filming back in July — will introduce Sarah Shahi as Adam’s wife Adrianna Tomaz. It will also bring in the Justice Society of America in Pierce Brosnan (Doctor Fate), Aldis Hodge (Hawkman), Noah Centineo (Atom Smasher), and Quintessa Swindell (Cyclone). In the above interview, Collet-Serra went on to praise the JSA’s dynamic, as well as their ability to combat Adam, from team veterans like Doctor Fate and Hawkman to novices like Atom Smasher and Cyclone. Even though these heroes likely won’t be a match for Adam, that conflict should facilitate an interesting arc leading into future possible Black Adam films and battles with heroes like Superman and Shazam.
Source: Total Film/Games Radar
