Dwayne Johnson has confirmed that Black Adam has been “benched’ by the new DC leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Johnson confirmed in a post on social media that after discussions with Gunn, the character “will not be in the first chapter of storytelling.” However, he added that DC and his production company, Seven Bucks, “have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.”
Despite the disappointing news, Johnson added, “After 15 years of relentless hard work to finally make Black Adam, I’m very proud of the film we delivered for fans worldwide. I will always look back on the fan reaction to Black Adam with tremendous gratitude, humility and love. We did great.”
This announcement is part of the ongoing shakeup ongoing in DC studios following the appointment of Gunn and Safran as co-heads of the studio. Both men tasked with reshaping the future of Warner Bros.’s slate of films, TV shows and games based on DC characters. In recent weeks, the studio has shut down a Wonder Woman sequel and announced that Henry Cavill is no longer their Superman.
The statement from Dwayne Johnson comes a day after James Gunn addressed backlash from some DC fans over the studios recent decisions.
“We were aware there would be a period of turbulence when we took this gig, and we knew we would sometimes have to make difficult and not-so-obvious choices, especially in the wake of the fractious nature of what came before us,” Gunn posted.
“Our choices for the DCU are based upon what we believe is best for the story and best for the DC characters who have been around for nearly 85 years. Perhaps these choices are great, perhaps not, but they are made with sincere hearts and integrity, and always with the story in mind.”
