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The Wrap


HOW DWAYNE JOHNSON KNEECAPPED ‘BLACK ADAM’ AND ‘SHAZAM 2’ WHILE TRYING TO TAKE
OVER DC | EXCLUSIVE

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 * Dwayne Johnson
   
 * Zachary Levi
   
 * Peter Safran
   
 * Henry Cavill
   
 * 

Scott Mendelson
March 21, 2023·8 min read

TheWrap
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 * Dwayne Johnson
   American actor and professional wrestler
   
 * Zachary Levi
   American actor and singer
   
 * Peter Safran
   British film producer
   
 * Henry Cavill
   British actor
   




The underwhelming $65 million worldwide debut of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is
another black mark for the DC Universe, the second-string superhero stable. But
there’s another villain, insiders told TheWrap: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, whose
behind-the-scenes maneuvering to boost another DC property — “Black Adam,” in
which he starred — may well end up tanking both franchises, they said.

To be clear, DC has a host of problems 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 kneecapped both, painting a portrait of a
celebrity who put his own brand before the work.

Johnson did plenty of work in public to undermine “Shazam,” chiefly by promoting
a face-off between Black Adam and Superman instead of the more canonical link
between the hero Zachary Levi played and the former pro wrestler’s own
character. Privately, he vetoed a planned post-credits scene in “Black Adam,”
which would have seen Shazam recruited by Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman, and other
costumed heroes, into the Justice Society of America, TheWrap can report
exclusively, thanks to disclosures by two high-level Hollywood insiders.

Also Read:
‘Shazam! 2’ Director Has ‘No Regrets’ Despite Poor Reviews: ‘I’m Definitely Done
With Superheroes for Now’

There’s plenty to blame for the underwhelming grosses for “Black Adam” and
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” including middling reviews and the mixed message
sent by the DC Studios revamp. Like “The Lego Movie,” “Shazam 2” might be
another example of a movie where the audience saw the original as
family-friendly fare but perceived the sequel as a kid flick with limited
appeal. Still, Johnson’s public and private actions seemed to play an undeniable
role.

Story continues

A representative for Johnson didn’t respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Reps for Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema declined to comment.


PROBLEMS COOKING WITH “THE ROCK”

“Dwayne tries to sell himself as bigger than the movie,” said a high-ranking
Hollywood executive who asked for anonymity in order to discuss talent matters
frankly while speaking to TheWrap. “He’s one of the few people who always thinks
he’s the most important person in any situation or room.”

That plays into the kind of franchises that Johnson usually spearheads, like the
movie based on the “Rampage” video game, a remake of the cinematic adaptation of
Jules Verne’s novel “The Mysterious Island,” or “Jumanji.” Problems arose when
Johnson entered a franchise that was bigger than him, like the “Fast & Furious”
series, where he clashed with franchise architect Vin Diesel, or “Baywatch,”
where his star power couldn’t save an expensive film built on weak IP.

> 


A SUPERHEROIC FIGHT

Johnson spent much of the weeks before the release of “Black Adam” touting not
the movie itself or his character’s in-universe connection to Shazam but instead
on a theoretical clash of the titans between himself and Henry Cavill’s
Superman. Then-DC Films head Walter Hamada vetoed a cameo by the star of the
divisively received “Man of Steel,” “Batman v Superman” and “Justice League,”
but Johnson went over his head and got approval from Warner Bros. Film Group
co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy.

“Instead of making a movie, he wants to extend his brand and make a brand
centered on himself,” said the Hollywood executive who criticized Johnson. An
Instagram post in which he declared that “the hierarchy of power in the DC
Universe is about to change” was an implicit statement that Johnson’s Black Adam
should be the new focal point of the universe. That meant positioning himself to
go up against Henry Cavill’s Superman, not Zachary Levi’s goofy Shazam.

Also Read:
Why Netflix Canned Nancy Meyers’ $130 Million Rom-Com | Analysis


THE ACTOR FAILED TO LEARN THE LESSON OF UNIVERSAL’S DARK UNIVERSE

As the architects of Universal’s canceled Dark Universe or Warner Bros.’ “King
Arthur and the Legend of the Sword” might tell you, you don’t promise a
cinematic universe before you have a hit like Marvel did with “Iron Man.”

Johnson spiked plans in the mid-2010s to make a film featuring both Shazam and
Black Adam in favor of two separate films. That worked out well for Levi’s
acclaimed and successful first “Shazam” movie. As a dark, violent and
unapologetically rock ‘em-sock ‘em actioner, it was the right call for “Black
Adam” as well. The issue came with Johnson going rogue and implicitly maligning
the “Shazam” franchise without checking to see if anyone wanted to see a “Black
Adam vs. Superman” movie.

Maybe Johnson mistook the online conversation about Cavill’s run as Kal-El for
real-world interest, or he didn’t realize that online discourse about Zack
Snyder’s first three DC films was partially a bot-driven vocal minority. Perhaps
he didn’t care.

> 

Either way, the actor-producer spent September and October selling the notion
that bringing back Henry Cavill as the Last Son of Krypton was what “the fans
wanted.” The narrative was framed in a way as to further fan the flames of an
ongoing civil war between those in the so-called SnyderVerse and the mainstream
DCU.

New DC Studios co-chief and “Shazam” producer Peter Safran resurfaced a version
of the post-credits sequence Johnson vetoed, and it now exists as a mid-credits
cookie in “Fury of the Gods.” But Johnson nixed the use of “Black Adam” actors
and the scene now plays out with Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee from “Suicide
Squad” and “Peacemaker.”

“By alienating the established property that his character was born out of, and
refusing to integrate with other established characters, [Johnson]
systematically crippled two franchises, and has harmed DC in the process,”
another Hollywood insider told TheWrap.

Also Read:
Henry Cavill Was ‘Dicked Around by a Lot of People,’ James Gunn Says of Superman
Actor’s DC Limbo


A REFUSAL TO CONCEDE FAILURE

“Black Adam” underperformed relative to its cost, earning $168 million
domestically and $393 million worldwide on a COVID-affected $230 million budget.
That global total is right between “G.I Joe: Retaliation” ($375 million in 2013)
and “Rampage” ($430 million in 2018), but those films -– along with both
“Jumanji” sequels, “Journey 2: The Incredible Island” and “San Andreas” — cost
between $80 million and $130 million.

“Johnson was a big reason why [“Black Adam”] was able to perform above the level
it likely would have without him,” said Boxoffice Pro Chief Analyst Shawn
Robbins. In a pre-pandemic environment, the movie likely would have added an
extra $125 million-$175 million from Russia and China, giving it a good-enough
$550 million global total. But the other problem might be underestimating the
overlap between the audience for a DC cape flick and a Dwayne Johnson action
fantasy.

> Waited to confirm with financiers before I shared this excellent #BlackAdam
> news – our film will PROFIT between $52M-$72M.
> Fact.
> At almost $400M worldwide we are building our new franchise step by step
> (first Captain America did $370M) for the DC future.https://t.co/GBIgsbtnkq
> 
> — Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) December 7, 2022

Johnson, meanwhile, touted a profit projection for “Black Adam” and compared its
worldwide gross to the first “Captain America.” In terms of painting its star as
unwilling to concede to commercial reality, the cover-up was worse than the
crime. At least Jared Leto didn’t spend last April swearing that “Morbius” was a
hit.


“FRANCHISE VIAGRA” NO MORE

Ten years ago, the release of “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” starring Johnson as new
protagonist Roadblock, was seen as evidence he could juice an existing
theatrical franchise. His supporting role in the acclaimed and $620
million-grossing “Fast Five” helped turn the franchise into an A-level action
series, and “Journey 2: The Incredible Island” earned more ($335 million) than
Brendan Fraser’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth” ($244 million). The
narrative stuck even while “Retaliation” earned less domestically ($122 million)
than Stephen Sommers’ “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” ($150 million).

Warner Bros. Discovery is making like Walt Disney and pledging to keep moving
forward, expressing extreme confidence in both “The Flash” and the soft reboot
plans hatched by Peter Safran and James Gunn beginning with “Superman: Legacy”
in 2025.

Yet Gunn and Safran have a talent challenge in their reboot: A key star damaged
the once-promising “Shazam” franchise while strangling another, “Black Adam,” in
its crib. Johnson’s public pandering to an online vocal minority and refusal to
concede box-office defeat has likewise hurt his franchise-saving reputation.

Johnson tried to remold the DC Universe in his image, and in doing so he not
only failed to save the franchise but actively contributed to its downfall.
What’s the opposite of franchise Viagra?

Also Read:
‘Shazam,’ ‘Ant-Man’ Sequel Struggles Show Superheroes Aren’t Bulletproof at the
Box Office

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