The DC Extended Universe surely has a lot of work ahead of them over the next couple of years, even though it still remains to be seen what kind of communication the studio has with its movie-makers on those projects. Some mistakes of the past will hopefully rectify themselves with movies like the Snyder Cut of Justice League, although the future canon slate is still a mystery to the public.
One of the more interesting dilemmas is the one that exists with the Shazam! franchise and its relationship with the upcoming Black Adam solo movie. Although Black Adam is likely Billy Batson's most notable foe in the comics, there seems to be no plan to have them integrate with each other in the immediate future.
This has been confirmed by a recent social media blast by one of the primary minds behind the DCEU's future.
SHAZAM! DIRECTOR OUT OF THE LOOP ON BLACK ADAM
In a recent interaction on Twitter, a fan asked Shazam!: Fury of the Gods director David F. Samberg if he had ever spoken to DCEU mainstay Zack Snyder on how his movie connects to Snyder's originally planned story.
I know Snyder wasn't involved with Shazam like he was with Wonder Woman or Aquaman, but were you i contact with him on what he had planned to help line it up with your film? Like how James Wan kept his film connected to ZSJL & not the TCJL
— Eric (@annericelover) February 9, 2021
Not only did Samberg reveal that he's "never met or spoken to (Snyder)," he said that he "(doesn't) even know what's happening with the Black Adam movie."
No, I’ve never met or spoken to him. I don’t even know what’s happening with the Black Adam movie, and that’s a Shazam character, so I’m not really in the loop on these things. I’ve just seen Snyder’s movies and made Shazam as if those events where real but also DC toys exist. https://t.co/HcF2URdksK
— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) February 9, 2021
NO COMMUNICATION IN THE WORLD OF SHAZAM
Apart from the comments on never having met DCEU regular Zack Snyder, this is somewhat alarming knowing that there is so little communication on movies that should have at least some connection to each other. Black Adam and Shazam are as deeply tied together as other DC hero/villain combos like Batman and the Joker or Superman and Lex Luthor.
Right now, there is no word on how interconnected Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam will be with Zachary Levi's Shazam! series. Although the two characters have a contentious relationship in the comics, it appears as though the DCEU will be showing Black Adam more as an anti-hero than a true villain.
Additionally, just because Samberg hasn't been in the loop on Black Adam yet does not mean that won't be the case in the future. Hopefully, this lack of communication will change going forward, allowing everybody involved to be on the same page. But Warner Bros. and DC Films undoubtedly have a history that proves differently.
Shazam!: Fury of the Gods will release on June 2, 2023, while Black Adam currently doesn't hold a place in the DCEU's release schedule.
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