‘Black Adam’ Trailer: Dwayne Johnson Makes Long Anticipated DC Universe Debut As Ancient Super Entity

Although Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson started his career in professional wrestling, he doesn’t often play the heel. Since his transition from WWE intimidator supreme to international movie star, he’s mostly portrayed well-intentioned action heroes with hearts of gold. That’s due to change with “Black Adam,” in which Johnson will make his long-awaited entrance into the DC Extended Universe as the titular supervillain. 

READ MORE: The Snyder Cut Is The Past: Here’s The Full Future Slate Of DC Superhero Films & TV Projects

“He’s not the boy scout superhero,” said producer Hiram Garcia. “He’s the guy that’s like, okay, you cross him? Well, I rip your head off, and then I move on to the next guy.” The movie will be a prequel spin-off of 2019’s “Shazam!” and will introduce Billy Batson’s canonical archnemesis, an ancient antihero who was corrupted and imprisoned for 5,000 years before escaping into the modern-day. The role evokes memories of Johnson’s first-ever lead performance in 2002’s “The Scorpion King,” a prequel spin-off of “The Mummy Returns” in which Johnson played an ancient antihero who was corrupted and imprisoned for 5,000 years before escaping into the modern-day.

“Black Adam” will also serve as the cinematic introduction of DC’s Justice Society of America (JSA), which includes Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan). The director will be Jaume Collet-Serra, who made a series of action thrillers with Liam Neeson before working with Johnson on last year’s “Jungle Cruise.” The supporting cast also includes Sarah Shahi, Marwen Kenzari, Mo Amer, and Uli Latukefu.

After undergoing a series of delays related to COVID-19, the movie is finally set to premiere in theaters on October 21 with a release on HBO Max to follow 45 days later. Check out the trailer below.