On Tuesday, both Dwayne Johnson and James Gunn addressed Johnson’s and Black Adam’s future in DC. Both confirmed that a Black Adam sequel is not in DC’s current plans, but that the DC character may still appear in further stories in the future.
Gunn and Peter Safran were instated as the co-CEOs of DC Studios on November 1st, just days after Johnson’s Black Adam premiered. Since being named co-CEOs, they have shown interest in retiring many of the franchise’s former stars, including Henry Cavill’s Superman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman.
As a result, the future of Black Adam was very uncertain. On Tuesday, though, Johnson finally gave a long-awaited update to his fans.
In his statement, he explained that he and Gunn had “connected” to discuss Black Adam‘s future. The result of the conversation was the confirmation that a sequel or Black Adam appearance will not occur in the DC Universe’s “first chapter of storytelling” under Gunn.
However, Johnson also expressed that the production company he co-founded, Seven Bucks, was working with DC to potentially develop future Black Adam projects in the DC multiverse.
He concluded by reiterating his support of Gunn’s plans and his gratitude to his fans and DC for making Black Adam a reality after about 15 years in development.
James Gunn responded to Dwayne Johnson’s statement
Johnson’s statement garnered an outpouring of support from his fans and colleagues. Since Black Adam was released, Johnson had been vocal and adamant about his character’s future in DC.
Johnson and Gunn had a different vision for DC’s future. Before Gunn’s installment in DC Studios, Johnson had gone over executives’ heads to get Cavill back in the DC and had hyped up a potential Black Adam vs. Superman film.
Despite the differences, Johnson and Gunn confirmed there was no bad blood between them. After Johnson expressed support for Gunn, Gunn responded with love for Johnson and excitement for potential future collaborations.
While Johnson and Gunn insinuated this isn’t the end for Johnson or Black Adam, their plans for the character are unknown. However, Johnson’s mention of the “multiverse” is interesting and could suggest that Black Adam could exist outside of the DCU continuity.
There are no confirmed plans for Black Adam and Johnson, but they are not completely written off, and Johnson and Gunn are at least open to making their different visions work in the future.
Gunn’s changes to the DC Universe explained
Black Adam is just the latest DC hero to receive a rather disappointing update. While he hasn’t been completely written out, other DC heroes have been, making his chances of returning more uncertain.
The first major change that Gunn and Safran made, was scrapping Wonder Woman 3. Gadot was initially slated to be reprising her role for a third Wonder Woman film, with Patty Jenkins set to direct.
However, Wonder Woman 3 was shelved and Gadot’s cameo in The Flash was also cut, indicating that she is being written out of the DCU completely. Joining her in Gunn’s scrapped plans is Cavill’s Superman.
Cavill had returned to the screen as Superman for the first time in five years for a cameo in Black Adam. Less than two months later, he announced to fans that Gunn had decided to recast the role of Superman and he wasn’t returning to the franchise.
There have been rumors that Jason Momoa’s Aquaman will also receive the boot once Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom premieres next year. Gunn has hinted at swapping Momoa’s Aquaman for a new character, Lobo.
Gunn has also hinted at potentially switching Ben Affleck to directing, perhaps, instead of having him continue to portray Batman. While Gunn has scrapped quite a few characters and future projects, he has yet to announce his new projects and heroes for DC.