Amid various changes at the studio, Black Adam's Dwayne Johnson addresses a recent report indicating his relationship with DC Studios has become toxic. Johnson had been in talks to join the comic book franchise for well over a decade before finally getting to don the mantle of Black Adam, though was initially eyed for the role of Shazam for the eponymous movie. Black Adam finally hit theaters this past October to generally mixed reviews from critics and an underwhelming performance at the box office, and with James Gunn now leading the charge at DC Studios and making a new plan for the DC Universe, some have begun questioning certain talent's connections to the studio.A recent report claimed that, following various changes at the studio, Dwayne Johnson unfollowed both Warner Bros. and DC on Instagram. The Black Adam producer/star subsequently took to Twitter to address these claims, calling the reports "100% not true," and acknowledging they're coming during an "insanely toxic time." See what Johnson said below:
Dwayne Johnson's Reported DC Troubles Explained
Even outside of the report claiming he had unfollowed the two studios on Instagram, a variety of other stories have surfaced in recent months about Johnson's reported issues working with DC. The blockbuster star was said to have gone around previous DC Films boss Walter Hamada to current Warner Bros. Pictures bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy to push for Henry Cavill to cameo as Superman in Black Adam. Johnson recently confirmed these reports, indicating that neither studio had any interest to bring the Man of Steel star back to the fold until the new DCU creative convinced them to change their minds.
Johnson has also reportedly been opposed to the initial plans for Black Adam and Shazam to face off in the DCU, as is the case in the comics, with the actor reportedly disliking the latter character and even turning down the request for a cameo in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Following recent indications that Black Adam was poised to lose WB up to $100 million following an underwhelming performance at the box office, the actor took to his social media to assure that his DCU debut would actually make a profit for the studio of somewhere between $52-72 million, even noting how the original Captain America movie, The First Avenger, grossed just $370 million against its $140 million production budget. Despite all of these controversies, Johnson has publicly expressed his excitement at what the future for him holds in the comic book franchise, however that leads to the question on many audiences' minds.
Does Black Adam Factor Into Gunn's DCU Future?
For the first time in the franchise's near-decade-long run, the DCU is finally getting a proper plan from Gunn and co-studio head Peter Safran for the next decade, though with Wonder Woman 3 scrapped and Cavill's Superman return nixed before it really got started, many are wondering whether Johnson's Black Adam will factor into this plan. Considering the underwhelming reception to the 2022 film, and its messy ties to the larger universe, it would make sense for Gunn and Safran to move forward without the antihero, though with Gunn assuring they are listening to fans in developing these plans, and audience reception being far more favorable, Johnson might just have a shot to return. In the meantime, viewers can catch up with Black Adam now streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Dwayne Johnson/Twitter
