Shazam! Fury of the Gods actor Zachary Levi seemingly confirms that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson didn’t allow the DC character to cameo in Black Adam. For fans of the comic books, many are wondering why Shazam and Black Adam haven’t met in the DC films yet.
Their power does come from only one source. And Black Adam was even hinted at in the first Shazam! film. Many were even wondering why Levi’s character didn’t show up in Black Adam.
The first film of Shazam! did well enough at the box office, but it wasn’t a massive hit. But with a $100 budget, the film earned at the box office $366 million, which is pretty much a success. And it’s enough to keep the franchise going for another sequel. And even if it featured Superman, not portrayed by Henry Cavill, it still got people excited to see the connection to the DCEU.
Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam was more ambitious and had a budget of $200 million. Unfortunately, the film didn’t reach expectations, earning only $391 million at the box office. While the film features the Justice Society and even had an exciting appearance of Henry Cavill’s Superman, it was missing one of the most important characters in Black Adam’s own history.
Shazam Lead Star Zachary Levi Confirms Axed Cameo
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In an earlier report by The Hollywood Reporter, director David F. Sandberg said:
So there were supposed to be characters from (Black Adam’s) Justice Society, but that fell apart three days before we were going to roll cameras. I was really upset because we had built that abandoned gas station set, and we could only shoot that scene in that little piece of forest.
The scene in question is the post-credits scene where Levi’s character meets Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee) from James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.
While we weren’t really sure why it fell apart, it seems that The Shazam actor shared an Instagram story which explains it a bit further. Levi shared a post from Cinema Empire Arena, which refers to a report from The Wrap. It quotes:
The Wrap confirms that tin ‘SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS’, the Justice Society from ‘BLACK ADAM’ were recruiting Shazam in the post credits.
The Rock denied access and David F. Sandberg had to make a last minute decision to add Emilia and John.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson attempted to restructure the DCEU centering him and Henry Cavill’s Superman.
The Rock didn’t allow Zachary Levi to cameo in a post credit for ‘BLACK ADAM’
Levi even added:
The truth shall set you free.
His shared Instagram post does imply that the report seems to be true. Levi has not elaborated on this post.
The Wrap (via Mail Online) reports that Johnson didn’t allow a cameo in Black Adam, nor was any of the cast of Black Adam allowed to show up in the Shazam sequel.
The report says the Shazam sequel was supposed to have Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman in the post-credits scene. But since Johnson didn’t allow this to happen, director David Sandberg got the Peacemaker stars Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee to reprise their roles for the cameo.
We reported earlier that Sandberg even wanted Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck to return as Superman and Batman. But it wasn’t clear why it didn’t happen.
The Rock Crippled Both Black Adam and Shazam’s Future in the DC Universe
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
READ MORE: Zachary Levi Talks James Gunn And The Future Of Shazam
Dwayne Johnson has been pushing for a big role in the DCEU. He was setting up a narrative that his Black Adam and Henry Cavill’s Superman would have a big battle at some point in the future. There were even reports that Johnson was set to produce Man of Steel 2 if given the opportunity. This was before James Gunn and Peter Safran were given the reigns to the newly established DC Studios.
Johnson still ignored the fact that Black Adam still came from Shazam. An insider told The Wrap:
By alienating the established property that his character was born out of, and refusing to integrate with other established characters, [Johnson] systematically crippled two franchises, and has harmed DC in the process.
Both Black Adam and Shazam have a questionable future in James Gunn’s new DC Universe. Black Adam hasn’t been confirmed that it will move forward, and Johnson has already confirmed that his character is not part of DC’s Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. Shazam also depends on the success of the current film.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is struggling at the box office. The film is still in cinemas, but it doesn’t seem that it will last long. At this rate, we don’t even know if it will break even. The film is already set to be released on HBO Max on April 18, 2023. Just a month after its cinematic release.
Shazam’s struggles at the box office may not directly be because of Dwayne Johnson. The decision of the DC Universe reset may have lost the confidence of fans to keep watching the last remaining films related to the DCEU.
What do you think of Zachary Levi’s confirmation on the axing of Black Adam characters cameo in Shazam 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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