The Rock has big plans for the DCEU, and if Black Adam is a success, Dwayne Johnson can now repeat his Fast and Furious feat with DC films. Almost 15 years after Dwayne Johnson was cast as Black Adam, The Rock’s passion project is finally about to hit the screen. During that long window between the announcement of The Rock as Black Adam and the premiere of the movie, Dwayne Johnson made his mark on another franchise, Fast and Furious, which proves that the actor and producer is a perfect name to set a new path for the DCEU.
Dwayne Johnson’s plans for the DCEU go far beyond a Black Adam solo movie. The Rock has teased several times that Black Adam will change the hierarchy of power in the DC universe, suggesting crossovers between Black Adam and other DC heroes and villains. A potential Black Adam vs. Superman fight has been teased by The Rock for years, not to mention a possible encounter with Shazam or even with Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad. With the promise of a new era for the DC films, plus Dwayne Johnson openly saying he would like to be "an advisor" for the DCEU (via Variety), The Rock could become the new face of the DCEU. That is very similar to what happened in Fast and Furious, in which The Rock’s Hobbs went on from a villain in Fast Five to one of the franchise’s pillars, along with Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker.
How The Rock Saved Fast & Furious
While Fast & Furious (2009) gave the franchise hopes for a new beginning thanks to the returns of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker to the roles of Dom Toretto and Brian O’Conner, respectively, Fast and Furious was still far from being the box office juggernaut it is today. That changed once Fast Five expanded the scope and the scale of the saga with Fast and Furious’ first nine-figure budget film, which was translated into a larger set of characters and bigger action pieces. The Rock’s rising star power added to that change in tone of the Fast and Furious movies led to a completely different franchise, one in which hand-to-hand combats and other incredible action stunts were now more important than the cars and the street races. Fast and Furious’ worldwide box office growth coincided with the arrival of The Rock, which is no coincidence given how much more ambitious the movies became.
Black Adam’s Success Can Set A New Path For The DCEU
Dwayne Johnson is one of the reasons why Fast and Furious was not afraid of pushing the saga to be bigger and bolder, which can now happen with the DCEU. Following Justice League’s failure, the DCEU has struggled with the apparent lack of a bigger plan, which led to some of the franchise’s most important characters like Superman and Batman currently being in limbo. Black Adam’s success can inspire the DCEU to go back to even-level movies instead of playing safe, a change that would be essential for The Rock’s “change in the hierarchy of power” teases to be paid off.
Fast and Furious showed The Rock being one of the faces of a franchise can equate to always-ambitious movies. Ignoring Superman and the Justice League would be a disservice to Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam plans, which is why The Rock can change the DCEU for the better. Though the future is bright, it remains to be seen what else other than Black Adam The Rock will bring to the DCEU.
