Well, we knew this was coming. The writing was definitely on the wall that Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam would be a casualty of the shake-ups at DC Studios. And while there was some light pushback by Johnson, what we expected to happen has indeed happened. There will be no Black Adam 2 as part of the new path forward led by James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Johnson revealed the news over social media, thanking his loyal fans for joining him on the 15-year journey to get Black Adam made. That was followed by a reply from Gunn, who was gracious as ever.
Black Adam⚡️ pic.twitter.com/b7ZbCJZxBw
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) December 20, 2022
Love @TheRock & I'm always excited to see what he & Seven Bucks do next. Can't wait to collaborate soon. ? https://t.co/NLwRqBVkd1
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 20, 2022
It’s worth noting that neither Johnson nor Gunn writes off Black Adam entirely, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the character does pop up again, maybe not as part of a solo franchise.
This isn’t at all surprising, though. Johnson’s long quest to “change the heirarchy of power in the DCEU” with Black Adam didn’t connect with fans as anticipated. The film opened in November to the best debut of Johnson’s career, but was met with mixed reviews and a $391M total worldwide.
So what’s next? In 2023 we’ll get The Flash, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and Blue Beetle. But if there’s a reset of the universe, something that has to be on the table, will any of these movies matter?
