In the run-up to Black Adam’s release, star Dwayne Johnson seemed to be making a big power play with the character in regard to DC’s future films. However, with the changing of the guard at DC Studios and the film’s lackluster box office performance, it seems like Black Adam’s future is grim, and Johnson provided an update via Twitter.
“James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling,” Johnson wrote. “However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.”
Before Black Adam’s release, Johnson tweeted that the hierarchy of power in the DC universe was about to change. In comparison, this note looks like an admission that the film did not perform as he’d hoped. On an estimated $200 million budget, the film has only made $391 million between the combined United States and worldwide box offices according to box office tracker The Numbers. According to Johnson himself, the movie will make about $52 to $72 million after considering production and marketing costs.
The film’s release and performance come at a difficult time for Johnson. Just weeks after the film’s release, which included a cameo announcing the return of Henry Cavill as Superman, Warner Bros. Discovery announced the selection of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-heads of DC Studios, with the intent for the pair to build a multi-year production plan for the studio.
Previously, Cavill and Gunn both confirmed the former would no longer portray Superman; his return was a decision pushed by Johnson and made by the outgoing Warner Bros. Discovery executives, and ultimately conflicted with the vision the new co-heads have for the DC Universe.
Johnson’s words show an intent to take the change in stride and hint at a future for the character but act as a concession speech for his attempted pseudo-takeover of DC Studios (as well as an advertisement for his Teremana tequila).
This tweet comes on the heels of a series of tough decisions by Gunn and Safran, including scrapping a third Patty Jenkins-directed Wonder Woman movie in addition to future returns for Cavill and Johnson. Cameo appearances by Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Cavill’s Superman in the upcoming Ezra Miller Flash movie have reportedly been removed from the film as well.
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