Black Adam, a movie that feels like it’s perpetually in development, no matter where we are in the calendar, has finally enlisted a director.
Dwayne Johnson has been shepherding this project since he himself announced he was playing the title role in 2014(!!!!). And really, he’s been floating around it for longer than that, stretching back to the 2009 Peter Segal attempt at Shazam!. But with the David Sandberg-directed Shazam! a critical smash (if not necessarily a financial one), one can easily see WB and their subsidiary New Line working overtime to get this long-promised solo spotlight for Johnson’s superhero of choice into theaters and primed for a throwdown in an eventual Shazam! 2, one hopes.
Sadly, the clock is really ticking on how long Asher Angel can continue to convincingly play Billy…they’ve still got a few years, but once Angel starts pushing 18-19, some of the charm of the whole “boy transforming into a man” starts to wear off and we’re maybe heading into Miracleman/Kingdom Come territory – not quite, but you know what I mean.
So while I probably would have just gone straight to putting Johnson right into the Shazam! sequel, it’s easy to see how a solo vehicle for one of the highest paid leading men in the industry is an appealing notion for the studio. And with Johnson taking such an active role behind the scenes, it’s no surprise he’s bringing in a director he has history with.
Per Borys Kit at THR, Jaume Collet-Serra will step behind the camera for Teth-Adam’s big screen debut. Collet-Serra is best known for the Blake Lively-starring shark-attack film The Shallows, but he’s been working with Johnson on the upcoming Disney film Jungle Cruise, based on the ride. And as we reported two months ago, Johnson has already stated that filming is expected to begin next year.
A movie many have been dubious about in terms of its prospects for ever making it in front of the camera has made one very big step forward today. I wonder if Johnson will have hair in this one…it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen him with any.
