After the breaking news that Dwayne Johnson will play Black Adam, the arch-nemesis of Shazam, but not in the Shazam! film starring Zachary Levi, fans have been scratching their heads as to when Johnson will play the iconic character. It seems that the mystery has been solved. Collider reports that Black Adam will appear in a DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film, but it’s not what most people expected, and the timing is surprisingly close to Shazam!
According to Collider, the first appearance of Black Adam will be in the sequel to the 2016 film Suicide Squad. The second film in the series sees the reprisal of many roles from the original movie, including Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Jared Leto’s Joker, and Will Smith’s Deadshot. Audiences will first become acclimated to Johnson’s villainous Black Adam character in Suicide Squad 2, which features a plot that finds the Squad tasked with locating a weapon of mass destruction. That weapon will be Black Adam himself.
Although Johnson will enter the DCEU in Suicide Squad 2, that doesn’t mean that Shazam and Black Adam will be separated for long. In an interview with MTV, Johnson confirms that the storyline for Shazam! will be split into several movies. Both the hero and the villain will have their own films, and they will eventually share the big screen.
Writer and director of Suicide Squad 2, Gavin O’Connor, is expected to roll out production this fall. A release date has yet to be announced. Shazam! hits theaters on April 5, 2019.