Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson teases that one of his iconic WWE moves could show up in the superhero film. Johnson was in talks to play Black Adam in the DC Extended Universe as early as 2014, originally attached to the Shazam! film starring Zachary Levi given then characters' comics history. However, Shazam! remained a solo origin story, with producers deciding to give Johnson's Black Adam his own film in 2017. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic and rewrites delayed the production, but viewers will finally be able to see Johnson as the anti-hero character this month.
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Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Black Adam is also set to star Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz, and Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, among others. Written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani, the film will follow the titular hero Teth-Adam's origin story once he is set free from a 5,000-year imprisonment and moves to seek justice in the modern world. With the same superpowers as Shazam attached to a morally gray protagonist, Black Adam is expected to shake up the DCEU, with Johnson teasing a huge power hierarchy shift.
In a conversation with Fandango All Access, Johnson also teased that at least one of his trademark moves will be present in Black Adam. Specifically, he mentioned that a WWE staple that's since become a signature of his acting career could make a comeback. Check out what Johnson had to say below:
"There might be [the People's Eyebrow]. Slightly. Slightly."
How WWE Launched Dwayne Johnson To Movie Stardom
One of the most successful wrestlers-turned-actors, Johnson went from a college career in football to World Wrestling Entertainment, following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps. As a professional wrestler, his most famous ring name was The Rock, and he became so popular that he became known as "The People's Champion." Johnson's move into acting may have been surprising, but he was prepared. In addition to performance skills, wrestling conditioned Johnson for stunt work, physical training, and action sequences. As he has mostly retained a toned-down version of his WWE persona for many of his roles, such as that of Luke Hobbs in the Fast & Furious franchise, Johnson has retained his signature move "The People's Eyebrow," too, bringing it out in certain roles to the delight of audiences.
Johnson has gone on to star in an extensive slate of films, including Jungle Cruise, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, San Andreas, Moana, a few installments in the Fast & Furious franchise, and Red Notice. His start in WWE provided a built-in fan base, which has only grown since he has become one of modern Hollywood's most recognizable stars. Crucially, as theater attendance has started to dwindle, Johnson has the ability to fill theaters and garner strong box office draws. This trait is still going strong according to recent box office projections showing that Black Adam could more than double Shazam!'s numbers, which will be a major perk for DC when Black Adam is released.