Dwayne Johnson Confirms There Will Not Be A Sequel To “Black Adam”
When it comes to superhero movies, you would think that casting Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would be a move in the right direction. He’s giant, he’s covered in muscles, he loves to jump off of things, and he has an endless collection of nipple-suffocating tight shirts. Well, unfortunately, none of these things worked in his favor after his latest endeavor Black Adam essentially bombed at the box office. And since there’s no Captain Save-A-Franchise to swoop in and whisk him away from the dregs of financial ruin DC Studios will not be providing a Black Adam sequel anytime soon. And The Rock confirmed this sad news on Twitter, breaking the hearts of DC fanboys everywhere.
Warner Bros. and DC Studios has been making many curious moves lately. DC Studios head honchos James Gunn and Peter Safran want to take the DCEU into another phase, which includes providing kryptonite to fans of Henry Cavill‘s portrayal of Superman as well as potentially sending Wonder Woman crashing her invisible jet into the Canyon of Cancellation. And as Ezra Miller’s The Flash remains untouched, Variety reports that The Rock’s Black Adam is the latest DC superhero to be sent off to an early retirement… for now.
“James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling,” Johnson wrote in a statement Tuesday. “However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.”
Gunn shared his own statement, writing, “Love @TheRock & I’m always excited to see what he & Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to collaborate soon.”
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
There were other factors that led to this decision. The movie had a $190 million dollar budget, but The Rock body slammed that paltry figure by over one hundred million dollars with a final budget of $260 million. Black Adam also went on to score $391 million internationally, which is a mere drop in the bucket for a film that cost so much to make. So it’s a box office flop. Also, there has been talk that James and The Rock didn’t get along, but of course, The Rock denies that.
In recent days, rumors swirled about a feud between Johnson and the studio. Reports surfaced that Johnson unfollowed Warner Bros. Discovery and Black Adam channels only to have Johnson come out and say he never followed them in the first place. Johnson had not publicly commented on the hiring of Gunn and Safran with many observers pointing to underlying tension between the two camps.
However, Johnson noted that the two have a good relationship.
“James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed,” Johnson wrote Tuesday. “It’s no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and WIN BIG.”
I think that The Rock could smell-la-la-laaa what DC Studios was cooking behind the scenes and needed to save face so as not to look like his film was a flop. Sorry to inform you, Rocky, but It was, and the numbers don’t lie. But don’t count The Rock out just yet! Because if there’s a way for him to incorporate his mouthy minuscule BFF Kevin Hart into the franchise, he would recoup those excess funds in no time.
Pic: Warner Bros.