Dwayne Johnson Doesn’t Like The DC Universe’s Shazam

It has now been reported that Dwayne Johnson is not the biggest fan of the DCU’s take on Shazam, which is very interesting and has me wondering whether we’ll ever get to see Black Adam take on the DC Comics character in live-action. This report comes to us via The Wrap, and in their article, they reveal that an insider told them that Dwayne Johnson doesn’t love Zachary Levi’s movie. Honestly, I’m not sure why he doesn’t like it. I thought it was quite fun, but it sounds as though Johnson is not a fan.

The article in question actually speculated about what the future of the DC Universe could look like now that James Gunn and Peter Safran are in charge of DC Studios. We are now in the second day of their tenure as DC Studios’ bosses, and we already see some cracks in the company’s foundations. The Wrap’s article states that there is some conflict between the new studio heads and Johnson regarding their differing visions for the anti-hero’s future.

Dwayne Johnson isn’t a fan of the DC Universe’s Shazam

Credit: DC Films

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So, the article notes that there’s been a history of Johnson trying to do his utmost to separate his version of Black Adam from Levi’s DC project. However, the first Shazam movie, which was produced by Safran, had a scene in which Black Adam was alluded to.

It was then revealed that Black Adam’s producers Dany and Hiram Garcia asked Warner Bros to separate the DC anti-hero from his comic book rival. They managed to get a scene where Black Adam was referenced removed from Shazam’s final cut. You can actually find that scene online. In the deleted scene, Billy Batson and his family enjoy their new thrones but then realise there’s a seventh unclaimed seat.

Black Adam was going to be introduced in Shazam!

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Anyway, back to Johnson not being a fan of the DC Universe’s take on Shazam. According to The Wrap’s source, Johnson “probably isn’t loving the idea that his boss [Safran] is now the guy that produces Shazam!” and that Johnson has a “thinly veiled disdain” for the Zachary Levi movie. They continued:

Safran needs to win over all the other filmmakers… and Dwayne Johnson’s thinly veiled disdain for Shazam means he probably isn’t loving the idea that his boss is now the guy that produces ‘Shazam.’ Safran is pretty diplomatic, so I think he will pull it off but it won’t be easy.

Johnson was actually supposed to be debuted as Black Adam in the first Shazam film. However, he later convinced the studio to save his first appearance as the DC character in his own standalone movie. As Johnson himself said: “[Shazam!‘s original] script is great… but that [they] should separate [Shazam and Black Adam].” He continued:

I made a call… I said, ‘I have to share my thoughts here. It’s very unpopular…’ because everyone though, ‘Hey, this script is great, let’s go make this movie.’ I said, ‘I really think that you should make Shazam!, make that movie on its own in the tone that you want. And I think we should separate [Black Adam] as well.

What do you make of this news? Do you think Dwayne Johnson is right not to be a fan of Zachary Levi’s take on Shazam? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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