The stunning global debut of Shazam! Fury of the Gods is another black mark for the DC Universe, the second-tier stable of superheroes. But there’s another villain, insiders told TheWrap: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, whose behind-the-scenes maneuvering to crank up another DC house — “Black Adam,” in which he starred — could end up both Weakening franchises, they said.
To be clear, DC is having a lot of troubles that aren’t Johnson’s fault, which is why Warner Bros. Discovery is attempting a reboot under James Gunn and Peter Safran. But in trying to shape “Black Adam” as the new center of the DC Universe — a strategy that failed to bolster “Black Adam” and undercut the once-promising “Shazam” franchise — Johnson may have busted both and one Painted portrait of a celebrity who put his own brand above work.
Johnson has done much publicly to undermine “Shazam,” mostly by promoting a duel between Black Adam and Superman, rather than the more canonical connection between the hero played by Zachary Levi and the former pro wrestler’s own character . Privately, he vetoed a planned post-credits scene in Black Adam that would have seen Shazam recruited into the Justice Society of America by Aldis Hodges Hawkman and other costumed heroes, TheWrap exclusively reports thanks to revelations from Two High -Level Hollywood Insider.
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The disappointing box office results for “Black Adam” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” including mediocre reviews and the mixed message sent from the DC Studios makeover. Like The Lego Movie, Shazam 2 might be another example of a film where audiences viewed the original as family-friendly fare but perceived the sequel as a children’s film of limited appeal. Still, Johnson’s public and private actions seemed to play an undeniable role.
The story goes on
A rep for Johnson did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema representatives declined to comment.
Problems cooking with “The Rock”
“Dwayne is trying to sell himself as bigger than the movie,” said a senior Hollywood exec, who requested anonymity to speak openly about talent matters while speaking with TheWrap. “He’s one of the few people who always thinks they’re the most important person in every situation and space.”
This plays into the kind of franchises Johnson typically spearheads, like the film based on the video game Rampage, a remake of the cinematic adaptation of Jules Verne’s novel Mysterious Island, or Jumanji. Trouble arose when Johnson got into franchises bigger than him, like the Fast & Furious series, where he clashed with franchise architect Vin Diesel, or Baywatch, where his star power came at a costly price film could not save, which was built on weak legs IP.
A superhero fight
Johnson spent much of the weeks leading up to Black Adam’s release not touting the film itself or his character’s in-universe connection to Shazam, but instead promoting a theoretical battle of the titans between himself and Henry Cavill’s Superman. Then-DC Films head Walter Hamada vetoed a cameo appearance by the Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League star, but Johnson overdid it and won Warner Bros .Film Group co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy.
“Rather than doing a movie, he wants to expand his brand and create a brand that’s centered on himself,” said the Hollywood exec, who criticized Johnson. An Instagram post declaring that “the hierarchy of power is about to change in the DC Universe” was an implied statement that Johnson’s Black Adam was to be the new focal point of the universe. That meant positioning yourself to face off against Henry Cavill’s Superman, not Zachary Levi’s goofy Shazam.
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The actor couldn’t learn the lesson from Universal’s dark universe
Like the architects of Universal’s discontinued Dark Universe or Warner Bros.’ King Arthur and the Legend of the Sword might tell you not to promise a cinematic universe before you have a hit like Marvel did with Iron Man.
Johnson planned to direct a film with Shazam and Black Adam in the mid-2010s in favor of two separate films. This worked well for Levi’s acclaimed and successful first Shazam film. As a dark, violent and uncompromising rock ’em sock ’em actioner, it was also the right choice for “Black Adam”. The problem came with Johnson going rogue and implicitly slandering the Shazam franchise without checking if anyone wanted to see a Black Adam vs. Superman movie.
Perhaps Johnson was confusing online conversation about Cavill’s run as Kal-El with real-world interest, or he didn’t realize that online discourse about Zack Snyder’s first three DC films was, in part, a bot-driven minority. Maybe he didn’t care.
Anyway, the actor-producer spent September and October selling the notion that “the fans wanted it” to bring back Henry Cavill as Krypton’s last son. The narrative has been framed to continue fan the flames an ongoing civil war between those in the so-called SnyderVerse and the mainstream DCU.
New DC Studios co-head and Shazam producer Peter Safran resurfaced a version of the post-credits sequence that Johnson vetoed, and it now exists as a mid-credits cookie in Fury of the gods”. But Johnson chose not to use Black Adam actors, and the scene now stars Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee from Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.
“By alienating the established property from which his character was born and refusing to integrate with other established characters, [Johnson] has systematically shut down two franchises and hurt DC in the process,” another Hollywood insider told TheWrap.
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A refusal to admit failure
“Black Adam” underperformed relative to its cost, earning $168 million domestically and $393 million worldwide on a $230 million COVID-affected budget. That total sits squarely between GI Joe: Retaliation ($375 million in 2013) and Rampage ($430 million in 2018), but these films — along with the two “Jumanji” sequels ” Journey 2: The Incredible Island” and “San Andreas” – cost between 80 million and 130 million dollars.
“Johnson was a big reason for that [“Black Adam”] was able to perform above levels it probably would have without him,” said Shawn Robbins, Boxoffice Pro’s chief analyst. In a pre-pandemic environment, the film would likely have added an additional $125 million to $175 million from Russia and China, giving it a good enough $550 million overall. But the other problem might be underestimating the overlap between the audience for a DC Cape flick and a Dwayne Johnson action fantasy.
Johnson, meanwhile, propagated a profit forecast for “Black Adam” and compared his worldwide gross to the first “Captain America”. In terms of portraying his star as unwilling to give in to commercial reality, the cover-up was worse than the crime. After all, Jared Leto didn’t swear last April that “Morbius” was a hit.
“Franchise Viagra” no more
A decade ago, the release of GI Joe: Retaliation, starring Johnson as the new protagonist Roadblock, was seen as proof he could spice up an existing theatrical franchise. His supporting role in the acclaimed $620 million “Fast Five” helped propel the franchise into an A-level action series, and “Journey 2: The Incredible Island” grossed more ($335 million). as Brendan Fraser’s Journey to the Center. of the Earth” ($244 million). The narrative lingered even after “Retaliation” made less domestically ($122 million) than Stephen Sommers’ “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra” ($150 million).
Warner Bros. Discovery, doing as Walt Disney promises to keep moving forward, expresses extreme confidence in both The Flash and the soft reboot plans hatched by Peter Safran and James Gunn, beginning with Superman: Legacy in 2025 .
But Gunn and Safran face a talent challenge in their reboot: a key star damaged the once-promising “Shazam” franchise while strangling another, “Black Adam,” in his crib. Johnson’s public pandering to a vocal online minority and his refusal to admit defeat at the box office has also tarnished his reputation as a franchise savior.
Johnson attempted to remake the DC Universe in his own image, and in doing so he not only failed to save the franchise, but actively contributed to its downfall. What is the opposite of franchised Viagra?
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