With Shazam! ready to hit theaters in just a few weeks, reviews have already promised that its fun filled movie with a lot of heart. Following the success of Aquaman, DC's finally become to clear up some their future plans, but many projects have yet to get a mention. One of these is the solo movie for Shazam's arch-nemesis Black Adam, who we've known for some time now would be played by Dwayne Johnson. Many fans thought the character would make his appearance in Shazam!, but as far as we know he isn't even going to be making an appearance. With so much in the air, it was believed the project might be dead, but now we have all new details about the movie proving otherwise.
The story of the movie will apparently see Black Adam face off against the DC hero Hawkman, a member of the Justice League in the comics. In the comics, Black Adam and Hawkman's origins both tie in to ancient Egypt, which is how the two acquired their powers. Adam was the first hero chosen by the wizard who would later go on to give Billy Batson his power in the present day, but becomes corrupted by his power. Hawkman similarly is Prince Ku-Fu who is reincarnated in the present day as Carter Hall. If true, its likely the movie will showcase both of the characters origins in Egypt and follow them to their return in the present day.
This is probably where the Justice Society of America characters Stargirl and Atom Smasher come into play, as Black Adam becomes an on and off member of the team in the comics. Unlike other DC villains, Black Adam is sometimes a villain (Specifically when face to face with Shazam) and other times an anti-hero, so we may see him flip back and forth between that in the movie. According to The Hashtag Show, The studio apparently want an actor 30-39 years old to play Carter Hall, and needs to physically look like they can take on The Rock's Black Adam. For Stargirl and Atom Smasher they want an actress and actor in their 20s.
For right now its hard to tell where Black Adam will fit into the current DC schedule, with Bird of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, The Batman, The Suicide Squad, and Aquaman 2 set through 2020. We also don't know how much the movie will tie in with Shazam despite the two characters being so heavily intertwined in the comics. Tonally, the Black Adam character and description of his solo film so far sound much darker than the tone of Shazam!. But having said that, The Rock is known for more family friendly roles and would fit in well opposite Zachary Levi's hero. It'll be interesting to see what DC does depending on the success of Shazam! next month, and if a sequel including Black Adam could end up becoming a priority.
So what do you think of these rumored details for the Black Adam movie? What actors would you like to see portray Hawkman, Stargirl, and Atom Smasher? Let us know below!
