'Black Adam' Will Use "Completely Unique" Technology To Showcase The Character's Superpowers
Black Adam is a movie that has been in the cards for a very long time. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson first became attached to the role more than a decade ago. But it's finally going to be a reality next year, as filming on the DC Comics adaptation recently wrapped. Now, producer Hiram Garcia has revealed they are going to be using some brand new technology to showcase the character's plentiful powers in the film. Garcia, who regularly works with Johnson as one of his most-trusted producing partners, recently spoke with Collider. In discussing Black Adam, the producer explained that the character is powerful and has a big ol' bundle of abilities. And to showcase those abilities, wholly unique technology is being used for the first time:
"This is a character with amazing abilities. He has super speed, can fly, and has world breaking strength to name a few, Garcia said. "We wanted to make sure moviegoers feel that throughout the entire movie. You're not going to see him use super speed just once and then it stops, this is part of his arsenal. It's common to see abilities fall to the wayside when dealing with characters like that but one of our many goals was to keep continuity there and push the bar in terms of how we do it. For example, the technology we're using to make Black Adam fly has never been done before. It's completely unique. It was critical for us to ensure that it felt special, authentic, and real. [director] Jaume [Collet-Serra] took that to heart. Our special effects' team are Oscar winners, and we certainly put them to work."
Unfortunately, Garcia declined to offer any specific details on this technology. What makes it so unique? What benefit will this fancy technology provide the viewer? We are left with more questions than answers at the moment.
What Makes This Black Adam Guy So Special Anyway?
As a character, Black Adam dates back to 1945 when he appeared in the pages of Fawcett Comics, before making the jump to DC in the 70s. He has historically been a villain in Shazam's universe. Originally, the plan was to have Johnson as the villain in the Shazam! movie. But as Johnson's star power in Hollywood grew, Warner Bros. and DC opted to double down. Instead, The Rock was given a solo movie, with the possibility of meeting Zachary Levi's Shazam somewhere down the line. Though not in Shazam 2, AKA Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Ultimately, this probably came down to two things; money and self-worth. Johnson has asserted himself as one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood over the last decade. He helped reinvigorate Fast & Furious with Fast Five. He helped make Jumanji a $1 billion franchise. The man, more or less, battled an earthquake (see San Andreas) and turned that into a $450 million hit. From a business perspective, Warner Bros. has every motivation to put The Rock front-and-center. Aside from that, it's likely Johnson didn't want to take a back seat to anyone else in his first superhero flick after achieving a certain level of success. Hence, he convinced the brass to give him a solo film first. Johnson has not been shy in hyping up the character's strength. In sharing updates on social media, the wrestler-turned-actor has regularly said "The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change." It is Johnson's way, seemingly, of saying that Black Adam, who he has billed as an anti-hero and not a villain, may well be one of the most powerful (if not the single most powerful) figures in the DCEU. Aside from Johnson, the cast includes Pierce Brosnan (Doctor Fate), Aldis Hodge (Hawkman), Noah Centineo (Atom Smasher) and Quintessa Swindell (Cyclone), who make up the Justice Society. Marwan Kenzari (Aladdin, The Old Guard) is set to play the villain, rumored to be Sabbac. Black Adam is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and is currently set to hit theaters on July 29, 2022.