Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Says Black Adam Won’t Be Part of DC’s ‘First Chapter’
“These decisions made by James and DC leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens,” Johnson said in a pointed statement.

Daniel Knighton/Getty Images
The best-laid plans often go awry, even if you’re former WWE star Dwayne Johnson and you’ve been working for more than a decade to get yourself a superhero franchise. After an underwhelming performance at the box office, DC’s Black Adam will not be getting a sequel any time soon, Johnson said Tuesday. In a statement to social media, the actor said the choice belonged to new studio head James Gunn, who is in the midst of moving and shaking up the DC Universe (much to the chagrin of Henry Cavill fans). “James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling,” Johnson said. “However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.” He added later: “These decisions made by James and DC leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens.” Retweeting Johnson’s statement, Gunn released his own, writing, “Love @TheRock & I’m always excited to see what he and Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to collaborate soon!”
Black Adam⚡️ pic.twitter.com/b7ZbCJZxBw
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) December 20, 2022
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.