Black Adam Star Breaks Silence After Dwayne Johnson's DC Exit

One of Dwayne Johnson's co-stars from Black Adam recently broke his silence on the major reboot coming for the DC Universe (DCU), especially after Johnson's exit.

New DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are almost ready to announce their initial plans for the newly-renovated DCU following Black Adam's release in theaters, which brought mixed reactions on all fronts. 

Only a couple of months after the movie debuted, Johnson announced that he was stepping back from his role in the DC Universe as the studio looked to inject new life into the DC story. Johnson also cryptically addressed reports about his exit from the franchise being messy, only admitting that he has "the guts to fail" after seeing his pet project perform the way that it did.

In the midst of that breakup, one of Johnson's Black Adam co-stars shared his own thoughts on the matter.

Atom Smasher Actor on DC Shakeup

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Black Adam star Noah Centineo addressed the changes taking place in the DC Universe, particularly after Dwayne Johnson announced that he was leaving the franchise.

Centineo admitted that he couldn't speak to anything happening behind the scenes, although he's excited "to see what they do with the DC world" under DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran:

"I honestly can’t even speak to any of that. I don’t really know what their plan is, and I’m psyched to see what they do with the DC world. For me, I’m just really excited to see Peter Safran and James Gunn‘s vision for DC, those guys, they know what they’re doing. So, we’ll give it to him. I’m excited."

The Black Adam actor also told THR how much fun he had working on the film, noting how he's never "enjoyed four months on a shoot like [he] did" for that movie and remembering how friendly everybody became with each other:

"We had such a wonderful time making that movie. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed four months on a shoot like I did during the filming of that movie. There were so many of us, and we all just blended together, and everybody was so willing to just befriend one another, and we really became family, and that’s inclusive of Dwayne as well."

Centineo made sure to give Johnson plenty of credit too, looking back on the dinners and experiences they shared together and how much heart the movie had thanks to its cast:

"He set the tone, and not just the cast, but everyone involved in it. We were constantly going to dinners and spending time with each other, and I will take that with me for the rest of my life, let alone the lessons and working with such iconic and deeply experienced and talented actors, our DP Lawrence Sher, our director [Jaume Collet-Serra], but it was the heart of that film for me that I’ll take with me forever. And I’m so grateful to have been a part of it."

Gunn and Safran are set to reveal the first concrete information about their upcoming slate in the coming weeks, which is expected to shed some light on the fate of much of DC's current roster of actors.

Centineo previously mentioned to Collider that he even tried to contact Gunn directly, saying, "I DM’d him. I sent a carrier pigeon to his home."

Will Noah Centineo Return for Gunn's DCU?

Even with the negative reports surrounding the fallout from Black Adam, Noah Centineo chose to focus on the positive memories he had while working on the movie with Dwayne Johnson and the crew. The way he spoke so highly about filming the movie for four months at least shows how much the experience meant to him, taking the chance to bring a new hero in Atom Smasher to life as he joined the Justice Society of America.

While his role in Black Adam was a key supporting one, he made a point to note how he's not in the loop on what's happening with the new DC Universe under James Gunn and Peter Safran, especially with The Rock now out of the picture. Other actors, like Shazam's Zachary Levi, are in the same boat, leaving many of the DC universe's actors in uncertain territory.

Outside of a rebooted Superman solo movie and stories centered on other big names from the Justice League, there are no signs pointing to what characters will become the centerpieces of Gunn and Safran's new DCU. 

The shakeup will reportedly be a "broad but not blanket reset" though, leaving a small chance for Al Rothstein to be able to smash his way back onto the big screen.

Black Adam is now streaming on HBO Max.