Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson reportedly dislikes for the Shazam! franchise. After years of having the film stuck in development hell, Black Adam has officially opened in theaters as Johnson's long-waited antihero made his debut in the DCU (formerly known as the DCEU). Initially, the plan was to have Black Adam appear in Shazam!, but Johnson ended up convincing the Warner Bros. regime at the time to let both characters have their origin stories told separately before having a joint showdown.
In the comics, Black Adam and Shazam have been arch-rivals for several decades, and while Johnson ended up sitting out Zachary Levi's DCU film, there were a number of hints and nods to Teth-Adam's place in the mythology. Throughout Black Adam, the story explores the title character's tragic backstory and how he went from being a Kahndaq slave to becoming its champion, and now a massive player in the DCU. Even though Johnson's solo-film focused on the Shazam mythology, there were no setups for a battle against Billy Batson. However, with the launch of DC Studios led by James Gunn and Peter Safran, future films may begin to set up that showdown.
According to TheWrap, however, there may be a potential beef between the franchises. The trade is claiming, based on their inside sources, that Johnson may not be the biggest fan of Safran as a DC Studios co-CEO, as the Black Adam star has a "thinly veiled disdain" for Levi's Shazam! films. Both Shazam! and Shazam! Fury of the Gods were produced by Safran prior to landing the DC Studios gig with Gunn. According to the report, it's expected that the producer will be able to bring all the creative sides together, but not without challenge:
Safran needs to win over all the other filmmakers... and Dwayne Johnson's thinly veiled disdain for Shazam means he probably isn't loving the idea that his boss is now the guy that produces 'Shazam.' Safran is pretty diplomatic, so I think he will pull it off but it won't be easy.
What This Means For Black Adam Vs Shazam In The DCU
Until either side decides to speak out about the report, there is no way of telling if the Black Adam star has any issues with Shazam!, as Johnson has never said anything bad publicly about the David F. Sandberg-directed film. As far as the potential Black Adam vs. Shazam battle goes, it's up to DC Studios whether to pursue that storyline, as they will determine the fate of DCU movies and TV shows as of November 2022. In the hypothetical scenario in which Johnson may have had a so-called disdain for Shazam!, it may be how he felt years ago, rather than what he's feeling today.
Leading up to the release of Black Adam, Johnson stressed multiple times that Teth-Adam and Shazam will eventually meet in the DCU, so it's possible this new report is nothing but gossip, which is not uncommon in Hollywood. There have also never been any public disputes between Johnson and Levi over the years. Hopefully, there is no bad blood between the Black Adam and Shazam! franchises, and the rumblings about Johnson having issues with Levi's DCU film are nothing more than rumors.
Source: TheWrap
