Posted in: Black Adam, Movies, TV, Warner Bros | Tagged: black adam, dc studios, dwayne johnson, henry cavill, superman, the rock, Warner Bros

New Details Emerge About Dwayne Johnson's Alleged DC Powerplay

If you're a DC fan, you've been stressed since the beginning of August when Warner Bro. Discovery decided that ultimately killing Batgirl was the way to go. No one really knew what was happening behind the scenes, but we did know that a DC movie was coming out two months later in October with Black Adam. They had pushed the movie pretty hard at San Diego Comic-Con just a few weeks before, so it was clear people were counting on this thing to do well. Within moments of the first screenings, it leaked online that Henry Cavill made an appearance as Superman at the end of the movie marking his return to the role for the first time since 2017's Justice League. It became the only thing that people were excited about when it came to Black Adam was that cameo. However, things behind the scenes with DC were in turmoil, and it seems that this cameo was part of a powerplay that Dwayne Johnson was making. We've heard rumblings about this for weeks, but Variety has a long piece detailing many new things.

Dwayne Johnson Stepped On Some Toes And Felt The Consequences

The report suggests that Johnson went directly to Zaslav with a pitch that included a Superman vs. Black Adam fight, and this was a multiyear plan. While it's unclear how much Black Adam was involved in this conversation, what does seem to be true is that Johnson went over the heads of a bunch of people by going to Zaslav. It sounds like, despite everything being in chaos, Warner Bros. film co-heads Michael De Luca, and Pam Abdy approved the Cavill cameo in Black Adam. However, it goes on to say that Warner Bros. film chief Toby Emmerich had "made the call in 2018 to find another actor to don the red cape."

Variety used the words "ruffled feathers internally," which is a diplomatic way of saying Johnson stepped on toes hard enough to bruise or break a bone. "Dwayne went around everyone, which didn't sit well," said Variety's source. Respecting the chain of command is essential no matter what business you're in, and Johnson ignoring that wouldn't make him popular.

That toe-stepping seemed to come back and bite Johnson in a big way when it came time to market Black Adam. Johnson had some wild demands that included a tequila bar at the New York premiere of Black Adam, featuring his Teremana brand, and pushing for a producer credit on DC League of Super-Pets and then not promoting the film. Black Adam was a bit of a cash sink with a budget of $195 million and another $40 million in reshoots, which doesn't include any marketing. Another insider featured in the article noted, "his demands increased, and the returns just weren't there."

The article compares Black Adam to Shazam!, which makes sense considering that they were supposed to crossover eventually. "You can't have a more modest budget when this level of talent is involved," he notes of Johnson's track record. "Budgets are commensurate with the talent involved. Something with a lower budget like 'Shazam!' is dubbed a hit because 'hits' are based more on profitability." You can make a lot of money, but if you spend a lot of money to get there, getting out of the red takes a lot more work. You also have to remember that Black Adam was budgeted at a time when people still thought the 2018/2019 box office was something that could last. However, even before COVID changed everything, 2020 wasn't going to be as big as 2019 and people are still coming to terms with that.

Where does this leave everyone now? In a bit of a weird place, but just because Johnson stepped on some toes with this Black Adam powerplay doesn't mean he burned any bridges, at the time of writing at least. James Gunn and Peter Safran are clearly working on their own plan, and right now, it doesn't include Black Adam or Johnson. However, while the inevitable passage of time is the worst enemy of comic book characters played by real people, it doesn't mean all hope is dashed on the rocks. We'll have to see what happens in the next couple of years over at DC Studios.

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