“Not my Head Coach, not my Quaterback”, Dwayne Johnson Finally Makes Peace With WB’s Decision To Cut Him and Henry Cavill Off From DC
Dwayne Johnson, who played the DC character Black Adam, had the highest opening weekend and earned mixed reviews from critics and audiences. At the same time, it was revealed that the DC Extended Universe would shortly be renamed DC Universe, led by new co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, who took over the reins in November.
As part of their DC Universe, James Gunn and Peter Safran revealed that they will be recasting a couple of parts to reboot the DC Universe, which did not include Black Adam, forcing Johnson to leave the role he adored. Now, the actor clarifies the scenario for fans to understand why the sequel was never green-lit.
Dwayne Johnson on Black Adam being caught in ‘web of new leadership’
Fast and Furious actor Dwayne Johnson appeared on his dear friend and co-star Kevin Hart’s Hart to Hart show where he finally answered the question fans have been asking about why the movie Black Adam was shelved. The fans were excited to watch the movie even though it received mixed reviews because Dwayne Johnson managed to get Henry Cavill back in his superhero costume, but the fairytale was short-lived.
The actor said, “I think that Black Adam got caught in a vortex of new leadership, and at that time we were creating Black Adam, developing it, shooting Black Adam, getting knocked back down because of COVID, the shutdowns, got back up.” He further continued, “There was so many leadership changes, and, as you know, anytime you have a company of that size and magnitude that’s publicly traded, and you have all of those leadership changes. You have people coming in who, creatively and fiscally, are going to make decisions that you may not agree with.”
Johnson noted that according to his understanding, Black Adam was one of the movies that got caught in that web of new leadership and it will always be one of the biggest mysteries not only for him and the fan but also throughout the business because people asking about why their movie was shelved off is itself a sign that people wanted the sequel. He noted that they went ahead to create a diverse superhero movie and people wanted to see more of it, which never happened.
The actor went ahead to compare the movie being shelved to his new ownership of the NFL team and said, “‘Not my coach, not my quarterback.’ It doesn’t matter how many times you won the Super Bowl or how many rings you got, you’re going with somebody else.”
Dwayne Johnson’s initial statement on Black Adam being shelved off DC Universe
When James Gunn and Peter Safran took over the reins of DC Studios and decided to implement changes to reboot the DC Universe, they announced that they were looking forward to recasting some of the roles and it included Henry Cavill’s Superman as well, which upset a lot of people. They also made it clear that Black Adam was no longer heading toward the sequel, which a lot of fans anticipated it to be.
Johnson at the time took his own time to share his feelings about the news, stating that he wanted to talk to the CEOs and get some clarity on what they were planning for the DC. He said at the time, “James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling. However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters. James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed.”
The actor further added, “It’s no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and WIN BIG. You guys know me, and I have very thick skin – and you can always count on me to be direct with my words. These decisions made by James and the DC leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens.”
Dwayne Johnson last added that after 15 years of relentless hard work to finally make Black Adam, he is very proud of the film they had delivered to fans worldwide. He noted that he will always look back on the fan reaction to Black Adam with tremendous gratitude, humility, and love.
James Gunn and Peter Safran announced David Corenswet as the new Superman and are working on their DC Universe’s official first movie, Superman: Legacy.
Source: YouTube
