Dwayne Johnson Is Set For SHAZAM, But Even He Doesn’t Know Who He’s Playing

By Adam Holmes on Tuesday, August 19th, 2014

If you’ve been following social media at all during the past month, chances are you’ve seen pictures and clips of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson teasing the hell out of his role in the upcoming Shazam movie, most notably with his “Just say the word” tweet. After much fun at our expense, Johnson has finally decided to drop the subtlety. While plugging Hercules in Mexico, Johnson confirmed that he is involved with Shazam, but even without subtlety, there’s still room for secrecy. He wouldn’t say whether he’s playing the titular hero or his nemesis Black Adam, but he did say one thing about his character.

I am putting my heart and soul and my bones into this role

None of this is new. Even when Peter Segal’s Shazam film was in development last decade, Johnson was slated to appear as Black Adam, and he’s been included in many Shazam fan castings since then. Like Jason Momoa playing Aquaman, this is something that Warner Bros might as well spill the beans on at this point.

As for which role he could play, there are arguments to be made for both characters. One the one hand, Johnson bears more physical resemblance to Black Adam, and with his love of anti-heroes, he’s always had a desire to play the character. On the other hand, Johnson has a lot of star power, and unless Warner Bros has plans for Black Adam past one movie, they may want to build a franchise around him. If they throw enough money at him, he’ll likely agree to play Shazam.

Regardless, the only thing that’s truly surprising about all this is that it took Johnson this long to outright state his involvement. However, that wasn’t his fault. In another interview, Johnson said that because his trip to this year’s San Diego Comic-Con was last minute, he had to call the Warner Bros executives to see if he could announce the film there. They said that wasn’t the time, but Johnson expects an official announcement will come soon.

I am 100% sure that the movie will happen. We’re talking about it since 2008, when I was offered the role for the first time was just a matter of finding the right script, and it finally happened now. We have a writer who understood the story and brought an amazing approach not only to Shazam, but the power of Black Adam as well.

Well, it’s good to hear that the script is treating both characters importantly. While Marvel Studios movies are treat their protagonists excellently, most of their main villains are either one-dimensional or get killed off, Loki, Abomination and Winter Soldier notwithstanding. Let’s spare DC villains the same fate.

What do you guys think? Should Johnson play Shazam or Black Adam? Let us know in the comments below!