With Shazam! about to have its home media release and the sequel set for production sometime next year, there’s been talk as to whether we might finally see Dwayne Johnson (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw) starring as the champion’s archnemesis Black Adam, after plans to include him in the first movie were dropped. However, it seems fans won’t get to see Billy Batson and Black Adam squaring off for much longer than originally thought.
Speaking at the CCXP Cologne convention in Germany, Levi discussed the franchise’s plans for Shazam and Black Adam to meet onscreen. As of now the plan is for Black Adam to be introduced in his own film starring Johnson that would detail how he was chosen by the Wizard and the other members of the Rock of Eternity to be magic’s champion before falling from grace. This would then lead to a crossover between the two characters, although Shazam actor Zachary Levi has suggested that this won’t happen until after Shazam! 2.
“I can say that as far as I know, Black Adam is not going to be in the second Shazam! because the idea is that they want to go and do a standalone Black Adam movie first,” Levi said. “And then it would kind of be, if we do a third Shazam! and a second Black Adam, kind of parallel like that, that’s where we would meet.”
Levi further elaborated by explaining that the length of time for Black Adam to be brought into the Shazam! franchise is to properly build up to Shazam’s ultimate foe for the third film:
“Because he’s like the ultimate bad guy for Captain Marvel, Shazam. Like Shazam and Black Adam, they’re doppelgängers right, the evil twin to who I am. So that’s got to be like the final battle, If we do that in the second movie, then where do we go after that? It would just be a movie of us sitting around playing video games for the third one, that would be very boring. Or not laughs. I’m a very interesting video game player. So yeah, I think that’s the idea. We’ll definitely cross over — the plan is to get there, but just to pace it out however it needs to pace out.”
Shazam! 2 will be written by Henry Gayden with David Sandberg returning to direct. Black Adam, meanwhile, is also expected to start production in April of next year with Johnson’s Jungle Cruise director Jaume Collet-Serra helming the film.
Originally published July 15, 2019. Updated July 16, 2019.
