Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam Scheduled For 2021 Release

The Rock is finally ready to embrace the power of Shazam, according to THR.

The long gestating Black Adam film is currently slated to arrive in theaters on December 22, 2021. Johnson has been tied to the property, in development at New Line Cinema, since at least 2014. Jaume Collet-Serra, who worked with Johnson on the 2020 Disney film Jungle Cruise, will direct.  Black Adam is considered a spin-off of the spring 2019 Shazam! movie starring Zachary Levi – as the superhero version of Billy Batson.

Black Adam aka Teth-Adam first appeared in The Marvel Family #1 (cover date: December 1945), and was the wizard Shazam’s champion in ancient Egypt.  Teth-Adam served as one of Billy Batson’s main antagonists until the 1990s.  During Jerry Ordway’s Power of Shazam! comic series and later writer Geoff Johns’ JSA title, Teth-Adam slowly evolved into an anti-hero.  Teth-Adam regularly appeared in comics throughout the 2000s, and co-starred in DC’s weekly series Fifty-Two.  In Fifty-Two, Black Adam liberates the country of Kahndaq and falls in love with Adrianna Tomaz – who is later bestowed the amulet of Isis. (A version of the character, Zari Tomaz, currently co-stars on the CW show Legends of Tomorrow.)  Though Teth-Adam has existed since the 1940s, he did not receive a title until 2007’s Black Adam: The Dark Age mini-series.

To celebrate the film’s announcement, Johnson posted an image of himself depicted as Black Adam on Instagram.  The image was drawn by legendary comic artist Jim Lee – who is currently Co-Publisher of DC Entertainment.   

Excited this movie finally has a release date?  Which DC heroes or villains should Black Adam face?  Let us know in the comments below!