What Dwayne Johnson Really Wants To See Black Adam Bring To The DC Universe

One of the most highly-anticipated additions to the DC Extended Universe is "Black Adam," which premieres on October 21. Dwayne Johnson stars as the titular antihero in what will be his second collaboration with director Jaume Collet-Serra. Previously, the two worked together with Emily Blunt on the live-action Disney adventure "Jungle Cruise." Johnson — who also serves as one of four executive producers for "Black Adam" — and Collet-Serra appeared together on the San Diego Comic-Con stage on Saturday as part of the Warner Bros. presentation to discuss their upcoming project. The pair were joined by "Black Adam" co-stars Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, and Quintessa Swindell.

Thanks to audio shared by Jacob Hall, Ryan Scott, and Jeremy Mathai from Static Media's sister site /Film, who were in Hall H on Saturday for the WB panel, we know Johnson said he and Collet-Serra had been working together on "Black Adam" for five years, and he repeatedly referred to the opportunity to introduce the character into the DC film universe as a "dream come true." But what exactly do they have in store for the character — who enters the DC comic universe as Shazam's primary antagonist — and what does it mean to introduce new characters to the DCEU?

The multiple delays that have plagued the release of "Black Adam" haven't dampened Dwayne Johnson's enthusiasm for "Black Adam." At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, he shared that he was thrilled to work with director Jaume Collet-Serra again, telling the panel, "We do have great chemistry ... He's really humble and very shy." The A-lister went on to say that he wanted to introduce his Black Adam character in a unique and compelling way, and he understood both the challenge and opportunity that come along with integrating the Justice Society of America (who are shown in the latest "Black Adam" trailer) into the DCEU. 

"If our goal is to usher in a new era in the DC universe, then what does that mean?" Johnson asked. He provided a good part of that answer with an interview with Den of Geek, saying of the new batch of characters, "We want to honor their mythologies and build out their stories on their own."

During the Comic-Con panel, Johnson was quick to cite his previous work with Johnson as motivation for including Collet-Serra in "Black Adam," saying, "Jaume is not only very prolific, but also he's just the perfect director for this thing."