The arrival of Black Adam into the on-screen world of DC Comics and its superheroes is nearly upon us. Having already previously made his presence felt at the recent SDCC Panel for the film, fans were already eagerly awaiting a live-action debut on the big screen. However, that long-awaited arrival of the titular anti-hero could have come a lot sooner had Warner Bros. stuck to their original plan in the release of 2019’s Shazam!

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Dwayne Johnson who is set to play the titular hero has revealed that at the onset, both Shazam! and Black Adam were meant to be introduced to the DCEU at the same time. Johnson, for his part, kicked against the idea as he felt that despite both characters having close ties in the comics, combining both in a single film would not be ideal for Black Adam's story:

“When the first draft of the movie came to us, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: Two origin stories in one movie. Now that was the goal — so it wasn’t a complete surprise. But when I read that, I just knew in my gut, ‘We can’t make this movie like this. We would be doing Black Adam an incredible disservice.’ It would’ve been fine for Shazam having two origin stories converge in one movie, but not good for Black Adam.”

The actor recalled that given his view on the project, he reached out to the studio to make his point, one he characterized as being an “unpopular” opinion. In the end, however, Warner Bros. accepted his suggestion of separating both projects and soon Black Adam will get its shot. In an interview with Collider, Johnson teased a bright and vibrant future for the DCEU, including some tantalizing matchups which could possibly include a bout between his character and the nigh-invincible Superman, hopefully. However, the actor has promised on several occasions that the emergence of his character will change the landscape of the DC universe for fans.

Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer in Shazam!
Image via Warner Bros.

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Johnson’s run in the DC universe has been among the few projects that have survived the new move at restructuring by Warner CEO David Zaslav which has included the shelving of projects like Batgirl. It will be interesting to see the anticipated performance of the film upon its release. Starring alongside Johnson in the film will be Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Pierce Brosnan, and Viola Davis who will reprise her role as Amanda Waller from previous DCEU projects. The film is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.

Black Adam is set to premiere in theaters on October 21. Check out the official synopsis and trailer 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.