Less than a month ago, Warner Bros. came to DC FanDome with teases and news about dozens of its highly-anticipated properties on the way, particularly those within the DC Extended Universe. Included in that was the long-anticipated first look at Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Black Adam, a film that's been in the works for more than a decade and has finally gotten off the ground in a big way.
Johnson and his team have spent most of 2021 teasing what's coming for the classic DC anti-hero in his first live-action adventure as one of the world's top actors brings the powerful demi-god to the big-screen. The movie will also introduce DC's classic team from the comics known as the Justice Society of America, with Pierce Brosnan embodying Doctor Fate and Aldis Hodge donning the wings of Hawkman.
Considering this movie's enormous scale within the DCEU and the time it took to develop Black Adam's story, fans are already building plenty of hype to see what's coming in next year's summer blockbuster. While the film is still a long way from being completely ready to go, Johnson took a moment during a recent promotional tour to tease his thoughts on what he's seen so far.
The Rock Shares Thoughts on Black Adam's Early Cut
Speaking with Collider during the press tour for Netflix's Red Notice, Dwayne Johnson revealed that he has watched the early "director's cut" of Warner Bros.' Black Adam.
While he likes where the movie is currently, he admitted that this is the stage where the team has to navigate being careful with the process while also making quick progress with the film's release coming next summer.
Johnson also took a moment to praise director Jaume Collet-Serra for his "ambition" with Black Adam, which helped to build "the makings and the bones" of something truly special. The movie's star showed his respect for the director's desire to "disrupt industry and disrupt craft" while working toward his goals:
"I think we’re in a really good place. I think now’s the time…we take our time, yet there has to be some expediency to it because we do have to have the movie ready by next summer. I think Jaume delivered a great first cut. Black Adam is the kind of movie that, from the beginning, it had the makings and the bones to be something unique. It all started I think with the ambition, but then it all started with our director, Jaume Collet-Serra, and I think that he is an ambitious director. He, again, comes from that cadre of very talented Spanish filmmakers who want to get in and want to disrupt industry and disrupt craft, and he does it I think in such a great way."
Speaking on the early cut of Black Adam, he saw "a clear and defining anchor to Black Adam's code" while watching the story unfold, which he saw as vitally important to building the character. While Johnson did admit that he's "not satisfied" yet, he was pleased with what he'd seen and felt that the DC FanDome trailer from October gave a "good indicator" of everything on the way:
"At this point of the cut, there’s a clear and defining anchor to Black Adam’s code, and I think that’s really important as we look to build out the character, as we look to build out the franchise, as we also look to build out the JSA (Justice Society of America) and introduce them and launch them properly as well. I am happy, yet not satisfied, and we will continue to put the work in, and the teaser that we showed about three weeks ago, it was a good indicator of what’s to come."
Dwayne Johnson Happy, Not Satisfied with Black Adam
The Rock has been leading the way on bringing Black Adam to the big screen for the better part of the last decade, which is particularly exciting with the movie now having completed filming for Warner Bros. Now, it appears that he's diving just as deep into his producer bag with his investment in the director's cut while his acting duties come to a halt for the time being.
At its core, Johnson's comments seem to indicate that the director's cut clearly shows who Black Adam is and what he's all about within his DCEU introduction, which will undoubtedly drive the film forward. With nearly nine months until Black Adam makes its theatrical debut, major effort will now go into post-production work to make sure the full product comes together the way Johnson and his team expect it to.
The best part about these quotes is how passionate the Rock is about making this movie the best it can be, even considering how big of an accomplishment it is just to have Black Adam fully filmed. With the DCEU's JSA making their live-action debut and Black Adam's full mythology being explored, Johnson understands what a tall order this project is, but he's putting every bit of effort possible into making it a great one.
Black Adam is set to release in theaters on July 29, 2022.
