DC and Warner Bros. have been on an interesting trajectory as of late with the merging of Discovery. Possible tentpole franchise movies like Batgirl were outright canceled, and the ever-changing release schedule could make the Flash dizzy. DC has been trying to make Black Adam with Dwayne Johnson for 15 years now, which is before The Dark Knight and even Marvel's Iron Man, which launched an entire cinematic universe.
The character of Black Adam was briefly hinted at in the Shazam! movie from 2019 with the Wizard talking about his past champions. The Black Adam feature will also bring the JSA members Hawkman, Cyclone, Atom Smasher, and Doctor Fate into the fold.
For decades, DC movies were standalone, despite being owned by the same parent company, but that came to an end with the release of Man of Steel in 2013, which was supposed to be the foundation of an entire universe to rival Marvel's. After Man of Steel had mixed reactions, and the follow-ups Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League soured the studio after not doing Avengers-level of box office, everything has been in limbo once again.
The head of DC Films, Walter Hamada, will reportedly depart the role soon, with DC now going off-road into truly unknown territory. What is happening now is more akin to the wild west with some serious playmakers claiming projects to run with.
Johnson himself is publicly stating his vision for a future Black Adam versus Superman project, all but confirming that we'll have Henry Cavill return as Big Blue. He's not the only one making moves though as there are a handful of filmmakers looking to make their mark in the DCEU. Over in Gotham City, director Matt Reeves is aiming for an expansion of his Batman universe. Wonder
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