Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson says start of the film's production will be delayed. Though Johnson's been developing the DC Comics movie since 2008, it only recently began to take major steps forward. Last year, Black Adam received a December 2021 release date, and word was principal photography would commence this summer. However, like most of Hollywood these days, the Black Adam team has to reevaluate the project's schedule amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

As most people know, the spread of COVID-19 has forced studios to shift release dates and delay ongoing productions as they wait for it to be safe to return to normal business operations. The health crisis is also impacting movies and TV shows that hadn't started rolling the cameras just yet. It was only a few weeks ago Johnson expressed worry filming on Black Adam could get pushed back, and now it appears that's exactly what's happening.

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During an Instagram Live video, Johnson gave an update on Black Adam, explaining that while they're still hoping to begin work this year, it'll likely be a little later than initially planned:

"We still plan on shooting probably at the end of summer now, probably pushed into the end of August or September. That is a project I hold near and dear to my heart and so I can't wait to get started."

Black Adam Dwayne Johnson

Reports from late March indicated delayed productions could resume is mid-May at the earliest, but at the rate things are going right now, that window seems to be very optimistic. The hiatus could last well into the summer, which would put Black Adam's original start date of July in jeopardy. So, it makes sense to hold off on production until August or September. That appears to be when most of the industry is banking on getting things up and running again. WB moved Wonder Woman 1984 back to August and Paramount rescheduled A Quiet Place Part II for this September. Of course, given the fluidity of the situation, there's no guarantee it will be safe to film project by then, but on-paper it reads as a more attainable target date than July. It'll be interesting to see how everything progresses over the next few months, as that will dictate when Black Adam and other movies in limbo can start.

The general feeling is projects slated for release in 2021 will need to be delayed due to the pandemic, but that probably doesn't apply to Black Adam just yet. As stated above, the movie isn't supposed to come out until next December, meaning there's plenty of time between now and its scheduled premiere. Films like The Suicide Squad remain on track for the time being, so hopefully Black Adam isn't affected too much and can still debut next holiday season. If not, fans will just have to wait a little longer to see Johnson headline the comic book adaptation.

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Source: Dwayne Johnson

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