At this point, Warner Bros. has to celebrate every small victory it has when it comes to the slate of DC comics films. After a rough (to say the least) start to the DCEU, WB has appeared to bounce back with the massive successes of “Wonder Woman” and last year’s “Aquaman.” And while “Shazam!” isn’t the box office behemoth the studio probably wanted, the film seemed to strike a chord with critics and fans, and so, WB is ready to move forward with the film’s first spin-off, “Black Adam.”
Yes, “Black Adam” has been talked about since before the DCEU was the DCEU, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson attached for what seems like a decade, at this point. But it wasn’t until “Shazam!” debuted in theaters that we heard from The Rock that there was movement on “Black Adam.” And now, according to The Observer, director Jaume Collet-Serra is WB’s top choice to helm the upcoming film.
“Black Adam” tells the story of the titular anti-hero, linked to the mystical, magical history that was unveiled in “Shazam!” Unlike the Shazam Family shown in this year’s film, Black Adam is much more ruthless and tends to fluctuate between good and bad depending on how it suits his best interests. If “Black Adam” begins shooting next year, as was told to fans by Johnson, then we could be looking at “Black Adam” beating “Shazam 2” to the big screen. If that’s the case, perhaps, WB is willing to hold off on the sequel until “Black Adam” arrives, and then use Johnson to build up “Shazam 2.” We shall see.
Collet-Serra is another interesting choice for Warner Bros. However, when you take into consideration their history of recent directors, which includes James Wan and David F. Sandberg, it makes a lot of sense. Collet-Serra has a history in the horror film genre, as do the other filmmakers, with films like “The Orphan” and the hit, “The Shallows.” However, much like Wan, Collect-Serra has also dabbled in straight-up action, with his Liam Neeson films, “Run All Night” and “The Commuter.”
No, you can’t say that the filmmaker has truly made a masterpiece yet, but when you look at what’s expected with “Black Adam,” Collet-Serra isn’t the craziest choice in the world.
Of course, the report says that the filmmaker and the studio are still “in talks,” so that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal. That being said, the studio has to get the ball rolling if it wants the film in front of cameras in 2020. Update: Variety and THR back up the report, the latter outlet claiming the deal is done.