While delayed due to real-world events, production continues for 2022’s Black Adam movie.
The adaptation of the DC anti-hero has now added a new face in Marwan Kenzari. Best known as Jafar in 2019’s Aladdin, his role in this planned blockbuster has yet to be revealed.
Bringing the Black
First created in 1945, Black Adam has been the long-time archenemy of DC’s Shazam (known for decades as Captain Marvel).
Teth-Adam was an ancient Egyptian granted superpowers by the wizard Shazam to be his champion. But Adam was corrupted by the power and became a dictator. Trapped for millennia, he escaped to do battle with Captain Marvel.
Black Adam has the same powers of super-strength and flight as Shazam. He can also change back to his mortal form by uttering the word “Shazam” but chooses to remain in his stronger body.
Still alive after thousands of years, Adam has bounced between a pure villain and an anti-hero ruling his homeland of Khanduq.
2019’s Shazam movie hinted that Adam was a former champion who fell to darkness. The movie will star Dwayne Johnson, a longtime fan of the character, in the role.
The Adam cast grows
Johnson himself tweeted out his congratulations to Kenzari for joining the film.
Kenzari’s role is being kept under wraps. It’s possible he may be playing a classic Shazam villain such as Ibac or simply a new character.
Besides playing Jafar, Kenzari is known as Joe on Netflix’s The Old Guard and 2017’s The Mummy and Murder On the Orient Express.
Already announced for Black Adam are Aldis Hodge as iconic DC hero Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone.
Those three heroes will mark the big-screen debuts of DC’s famed Justice Society of America.
Slow start for Black Adam
Like many movies in 2020, the pre-production of Black Adam was put off by the pandemic and shutdowns. While it’s hopeful it hits theaters in 2022, it may see more delays.
The film is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed Johnson in Jungle Cruise. That Disney film was to open last summer but delayed to this July by the pandemic.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods is scheduled to debut in 2023. It’s possible that DC and Warner Bros would want Adam’s own movie to come first to set up a possible showdown between the famous enemies.
The addition of Kenzari indicates that production on Black Adam is speeding up in hopes of finally making it to theaters next year.