Since the release of Man of Steel in 2013, the DC cinematic universe expanded. Is it still worth introducing you to the members of the Suicide Squad, Wonder Womanthe Justice League or Aquaman ? Following in the footsteps of these heroes, others, like The Flashwere also given their time on the big screen. In 2022, director Jaume Collet-Serra (to whom we owe notably The Passenger et Jungle Cruise) introduces fans of the universe to a new superhero: Black Adam. The film, broadcast on Sunday December 15, 2024 at 9:10 p.m. on TF1, is carried by Dwayne Johnson in the role of Teth-Adam (Black Adam). Who did not hide his disappointment at the idea of not seeing a continuation of his character’s adventures…
Why won’t there be Black Adam 2 ?
To understand the history of Black Adamwe have to go back to more than 2,000 years before Jesus Christ, in the nation of Kahndaq. At this time, King Ahk-Ton takes power and decides, thanks to the work of his enslaved people, to forge the Crown of Sabbac, to grant himself demonic powers. Faced with these excesses of invincibility, the Council of Wizards confers divine powers on a champion chosen to challenge and defeat it. 5,000 years later, this champion is awakened from a long sleep by an archaeologist and finds himself, in our era, hunted by the Justice Society. Dwayne Johnson, who is also executive producer, particularly recognized himself in the role. “As a kid, I was already a ‘DC boy’ and I found myself in Black Adam precisely because he was a superhero of color, and he came from a time and a place in the world where people had dark skin”he explains to First. Adding that the antihero side of this atypical hero places him in a “zone grise”. “Neither good nor bad. He’s super fun to play, a guy you can’t really put a label on. We have a lot of fun with this: no one other than him dictates his rules to him”. But one of the things that pleased the actor the most, “that’s because no one has yet played him on the big screen”. And maybe no one will do it anymore…
Black Adam : is the adventure over for the hero played by Dwayne Johnson?
Upon its release, Black Adam garners no less than 393.5 million in profits internationally. A score half as strong as Wonder Woman which generated $822.9 million in 2017, but far from dishonorable. However, the film should not see a sequel. As Dwayne Johnson confided to his friend Kevin Hart on his talk show Hart to Heartin an exchange transcribed by The Hollywood Reporter in 2023: “Black Adam was caught in a vortex of new leaders”. And to continue: “While we were creating Black Adam, developing it, filming it, there were so many changes in direction. And as you know, anytime you have a company, but especially a company of this size and of this magnitude, […] you have people coming in who, creatively and financially, are going to make decisions that you may not agree with.”. In this case, one of those decisions was to abandon the idea of a sequel. A “biggest mysteries” for the superhero interpreter. But the changes and the criticisms got the better of the film… or almost. Because Dwayne Johnson still declared in a press release: “James Gunn [co-PDG de DC Studios, ndlr] and I hit it off, and Black Adam will not be in its first chapter of narration […] However, DC and Seven Bucks [sa société de production, ndlr] agreed to continue to explore the most valuable ways to utilize Black Adam in future chapters of the DC Multiverse.” Keep your eyes open!
