If you were following the last few months involving the newly dubbed DC Studios, you know Dwayne Johnson played a very interesting part.
For those who don’t know, it’s been long rumored that Dwayne Johnson wanted to be part of the “DC hierarchy” and pitched Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav a multiyear plan involving Black Adam and Superman. But that did not go as planned, and now it seems like everything is shifting in a different direction with the introduction of James Gunn and Peter Safran as the co-chairs of the DCU.
In a new report from Variety, we’ve learned even more details about Dwayne Johnson’s rocky road. The outlet reports that Johnson went to Zaslav and brought him a plan for more “Black Adam and a Cavill-led Superman in which the two properties would interweave, setting up a Superman-versus-Black Adam showdown.” They were told, “Black Adam producers Hiram Garcia, Johnson’s former brother-in-law, and Beau Flynn also were part of the brain trust looking to take DC down a new path.”
As Johnson is known to be a bit over-the-top, especially in full shill mode, and the report says the actor “ruffled feathers” and “went around everyone, which didn’t sit well.” But there were two people slightly in Johnson’s court – Warner Bros. film co-heads Michael De Luca, and Pam Abdy approved the now infamous Henry Cavill cameo in Black Adam. This was Johnson’s attempt to get the fans behind him, especially the Zack Snyder fans, and have the fan support behind him.
But 2022’s Black Adam did not fare well at the box office. Despite heavy promotion and pushing the Cavill cameo, the film made $391 million worldwide against its reported $195 budget plus $40 million in reshoots.
As soon as they happened, the relationship between Warner and Johnson was further soured. Variety also noted things got tense when the actor pushed for strange demands. One was Dwayne Johnson going for a producer credit on DC League of Super-Pets, “but did little to promote it.” Variety also “insisted on a tequila bar at the New York premiere of Black Adam featuring his Teremana brand, despite the film being rated PG-13.”
A Variety insider notes, “His demands increased, and the returns just weren’t there.”
As Gunn & Safran ready their plans, Variety notes the future includes “a broad but not blanket reset” before noting, “at this point, nothing is ruled out.” Recently, Johnson revealed he is not part of the immediate DCU future.
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam (Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Black Adam is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise) and sees Dwayne Johnson starring alongside Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, Sarah Shahi as Adrianna, Marwan Kenzari as Ishmael, Bodhi Sabongui as Amon, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller and Henry Cavill as Superman.
