Dwayne Johnson confirms that he will not cameo as Black Adam in the Shazam! movie. Johnson was believed to have signed onto the role to be play the main villain in next year's film, but, somewhere along the line, the plans changed. Now, the magical anti-hero is headlining his own film, Black Adam, before appearing in a future Shazam! sequel.

The Shazam! movie first began production in the early 2000s at New Line Cinema, but it remained in development hell until just a few years ago. It was then that Johnson signed to the role of Black Adam, later becoming a producer on the film when it started production. Warner Bros. reactivated the project following the release of Man of Steel and made plans to incorporate the Shazam! film into the DC Extended Universe. The Black Adam solo film spun out of the preparations for Shazam! - presumably due to the decision to base the Shazam! script on the character's most recent origin story in the comics, which did not include Black Adam.

Related: Black Adam: Dwayne Johnson Teases DC Hero Cameos, May Film Late 2019

Dwayne Johnson spoke about the upcoming Black Adam movie and Shazam! in an interview with Syfy. While confirming that he is still ready and willing to play Black Adam, and that plans are afoot for the filming of his solo movie to begin in late 2019, Johnson confirmed that he will not be appearing in Shazam! He said: "I'm not in that oneIt's Shazam and Black Adam and, with the way the DC universe works, we should — in theory — meet up on the big screen. But who knows?"

Dwayne Johnson and Black Adam from DC Comics

It's understandable that the makers of Shazam! may have had difficulty in accommodating Johnson's busy schedule, even for a cameo appearance. Johnson is one of the busiest and most popular actors in Hollywood right now, with a number of projects lined up through 2018 and into 2019. Before shooting on Black Adam starts, Johnson is scheduled to film the third Jumanji movie, as well as Red Notice - an action movie about a pair of Interpol agents, which will co-star Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot.

Johnson's busy schedule, rumors persist that the actor will make a cameo appearance somewhere in the DC Extended Universe before the Black Adam solo film hits the big screen. For a time, it was presumed that he would appear in Suicide Squad 2. Another rumor suggested that he would appear (or at least be referred to) in Aquaman. It has even been suggested by Syfy that his statement might have been a lie, meant to surprise viewers when he really does show up in Shazam! While this would be the most logical place for the character to be introduced to the DCEU, perhaps in some post-credit sequence, it seems unlikely we will know the truth of things for some time to come.

More: Shazam! Plot Details Confirm Comics-Accurate Storyline

Source: Syfy

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