Dwayne, “The Rock” Johnson, teased some “Black Adam” news on Instagram today, and making good on that promise, the global superstar eventually revealed the release date to his long-gestating DC Superhero film. “Black Adam” will now arrive in theaters, summer 2022 and July 29, 2022, to be exact. This is about seven months earlier than originally scheduled. Warner Bros. had originally set “Black Adam” for release this year, December 2021, during the holidays, but eventually, it seemed like the script and casting weren’t quite ready. With the cast fully announced, it seems the Rock will be looking to rule the summer next year.
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The release date revealed now makes sense. The superhero film finally filled the last piece of its casting puzzle last week with Pierce Brosnan as the mystical/magical character Dr. Fate. “Black Adam” will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, stars Johnson as the titular anti-hero, and co-stars the aforementioned Brosnan, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone. The four heroes will comprise the members of the Justice Society of America. Still, it’s unclear how much Johnson’s Adam will be on their side given his character is an anti-hero and will likely be scheduled to turn full heel and face off against his arch-nemesis from the comics in the “Shazam!” franchise. The film is also scheduled to star Sarah Shahi and Marwan Kenzari.
July 29 is no joke of a release date and shows some real cajones on the part of Warner Bros. and DC Films. That’s currently the release date of Disney’s “Indiana Jones 5“ starring the last and final appearance of Harrison Ford in the iconic role.
It’s going to be a crowded and busy summer too. “Black Panther II” arrives July 8, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3,” on July 15, the new Jordan Peele event horror on July 22, and then the ‘Indy’ vs. “Black Adam” showdown. DC’s closest film to ‘Adam’ is “The Batman,” which arrives March 4, 2022, and after that, “The Flash” on November 4, 2022. “Aquaman 2” currently has a date of December 16, 2022, but it’s unclear if that one will ultimately hold, given the date was announced way before the era of COVID-related delays. Given DC/WB’s desire to use HBO Max to feature spin-off films from the movies, one wonders if someone in the Justice Society or the team itself could find themselves on the small screen in the future.