Warner Bros. might have gone on a recent spree of canceling films like Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt as well as the controversial removal of over 30 animated titles from HBO Max, but one project that is still full steam ahead is their upcoming DC antihero film Black Adam, starring the titular character played by Dwayne Johnson. Today, a brand-new trailer for the film was released and showed the nemesis of Shazam wielding his power.
Up until this point, Black Adam trailers have given us brief glimpses into moments of explosive air combat, displays of Black Adam’s incredible powers, as well as a look into his character’s profound guilt over his son’s tragic sacrifice. We’ve seen confrontations between Pierce Brosnan’s Doctor Fate and our morally ambiguous anti-hero, as well as a tense stand-off between Black Adam and Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman. And yet, DC saved one of its best reveals for this second Black Adam trailer — Amanda Waller has arrived! Black Adam’s second trailer confirms Viola Davis’ badass character from The Suicide Squad fame will appear in this newest DC blockbuster. In the trailer, Amanda Waller seems to be in direct communication with the team, offering guidance as it assembles to bring Black Adam to justice. But we’re not just talking about any team. Black Adam will finally give us the Justice Society of America, folks! The oldest superhero crew in comic book history. Along with a direct naming of the JSA, we also get our first real looks at Quintessa Swindle’s Cylcone and Noah Centineo’s Atom Smasher, along with a heartfelt moment with Sarah Shahi’s Adrianna. Can the JSA negotiate Black Adam’s peaceful surrender? I guess we’ll all just have to flock to the theaters to find out.
This new trailer comes just a few weeks after a noticeable shift in the release schedule for DC's upcoming superhero films, with James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom being moved from its March 17 release to a much later Christmas Day release on December 25, 2023, and Shazam: Fury of the Gods, the sequel to 2019's Shazam! being pushed three months back from its December 21, 2022, to take the Aquaman sequel's old release date.
The character of Black Adam is the main antagonist of Billy Batson, aka Shazam, in both the comics and other adaptations of those characters. The first Shazam! film saw major box office returns and with Johnson having wanted to play the character for years, its no surprise that the popular character would get his own film enty in the DCEU. Black Adam was directed by Jaume-Collet Serra and was written by the trio of Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani. Serra and The Rock have previously worked together with Serra having also directed the 2021 Johnson-starring Disney movie Jungle Cruise.
Also starring in the film are Marwan Kenzari, James Cusati-Moyer, Bodhi Sabongui, Mo Amer, and Uli Latukefu, who are all attached to the project in currently unrevealed roles. Along with starring as the titular Black Adam, Johnson, who has been trying to get this passion project off the ground for years, will also serve as an executive producer on the film, joining Walter Hamada, Eric McLeod, and Scott Sheldon.
Black Adam is scheduled to premiere in theaters on October 21. You can check out the brand-new trailer and the official synopsis for the upcoming antihero movie down below.
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods-and imprisoned just as quickly-Black Adam (Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.