Since the pandemic began, the entertainment industry has been plagued with delays due to business closures, social distancing, and the shutdown of the world economy. Fans of the Marvel and DC universes have arguably been the hardest hit by the delays, having seen films pushed by months or even years. Fortunately, there has been a grand increase in television content to fill the void.
As the world continues to move closer to normality, the age of delays has persisted, with both Marvel and DC recently making grand shifts to their upcoming slates. These delays included almost every upcoming film, including Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam, which was forced to move from July 29 to October 21, having already moved from its original December 2021 slot.
Having first been cast in the role over a decade ago, the former wrestler will finally debut as the ruler of Kahndaq in Black Adam. The titular anti-hero will be accompanied by the Justice Society of America, which will feature Doctor Fate, Atom-Smasher, Hawkman, and Cyclone.
With fans eagerly awaiting the highly-anticipated blockbuster, one Black Adam producer has explained what caused the delays.
Why Was Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam Delayed?
In a recent interview with The Wrap, Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia explained why the Dwayne Johnson blockbuster delayed its previous July 29 release date to October 21.
Garcia revealed that following the years of pandemic-induced delays, "the pipeline for VFX is so jammed" and most VFX houses are now "completely swamped with work:"
“I think we’re just in a world right now where there was a huge and understandable freeze-up when the pandemic hit and a lot of productions were put on hold. Now that the industry has really roared back, the pipeline for VFX is so jammed. Obviously, all these superhero movies just require so much VFX, and we’re just in a situation where the majority of the VFX houses are just completely swamped with work.”
The Black Adam producer explained that the VFX hold-up was what caused there to be "seismic shifts across the board" as vendors try to "accommodate the amount of VFX they have to do:"
“I think that’s why you saw seismic shifts across the board, and you continue to see those giant properties just moving further down the line. And it’s just a matter of the vendors being able to accommodate the amount of VFX they have to do, the shots that have to be done.”
The President of Production at The Rock's Seven Bucks Productions went on to thank the VFX houses, sharing his hopes that "things are starting to calibrate" which should lead to "less shifts down the line:"
“They’re busting their ass, and we’re so grateful for all those VFX houses. It feels like things are starting to calibrate, and I think you’ll start to feel less shifts down the line.”
The Age of Delays Comes to an End
Modern blockbusters are packed with visual effects, with the superhero genre being the most infamous for its CGI-heavy nature. Contrary to popular opinion, few major studios design their VFX internally, with most outsourcing the job to private visual effects houses.
Studios are only now beginning to produce television content with visual effects on par with two-hour blockbusters. This combined with the uptick in theatrical output from franchises such as the MCU has led to a drastic increase in demand for VFX, one which the pandemic has made tough to support.
Since the pandemic forced many to begin working from home as office capacities were reduced to allow for social distancing, these houses are only just now able to begin working to full capacity again. As they begin to catch up on the workload, delays should gradually become less frequent.
Over recent years, fans have had to endure massive delays ranging from days to even years. The constant output of content from studios has fortunately meant that there haven't been any major gaps in content for fans of DC and Marvel since 2020, and hopefully there won't be again.
Black Adam hits theaters on October 21.
