The DC Extended Universe is about to get a little bigger with the worldwide release of Black Adam on Friday, October 21, 2022.
After nearly five thousand years of imprisonment, Black Adam, an antihero from the ancient city of Kahndaq, is unleashed into modern times. His brute tactics and way of justice attract the attention of the Justice Society of America, who tries to stop his rampage, teach him how to be a hero more than a villain, and must team up to stop a force more powerful than Adam himself.
The Shazam! spin-off from was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shadows, Orphan Black, House of Wax) and written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani. Black Adam stars Dwayne Johnson in the title role alongside Aldis Hodge as Carter Hall / Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Albert Rothstein / Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz / Isis, Marwan Kenzari as Ishmael Gregor / Sabbac, Quintessa Swindell as Maxine Hunkel / Cyclone, Bodhi Sabongui as Amon, and Pierce Brosnan as Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate.
The 2022 film is loosely based on the comic book character by the same name. Black Adam first appeared in The Marvel Family #1 (1945) originally published by Fawcett Comics until DC Comics licensed and acquired Fawcett’s characters in the 1970s. He was created by writer Otto Binder and artist C.C. Beck. The original story is reprinted in DC’s Shazam! #8 (1973), which is his first appearance in the Bronze Age.
Black Adam was originally depicted as a supervillain and the ancient Egyptian predecessor of Captain Marvel, who fought his way to modern times to challenge the hero and his Marvel Family associates. However, the character has been redefined by DC Comics writers Jerry Ordway, Geoff Johns, and David S. Goyer as a corrupted antihero attempting to clear his name and reputation. In 2009, Black Adam was ranked as IGN’s 16th-greatest comic book villain of all time.
Black Adam made his cinematic debut in 2022’s animated DC League of Super-Pets, voiced by Johnson. He will make his live-action and DCEU first appearance in his self-titled feature film.
The film was originally set to release on December 22, 2021, but was moved from that date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then given a release of July 29, 2022, but was moved to the October 2022 date when Warner Bros. adjusted its release schedule due to the impacts the pandemic on the workload of visual effects vendors.
Get ready for October 21!
