DC Fandome 2021 has officially begun. The 24-hour Livestream event kicked off today with an electrifying first look at Black Adam, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the DC villain. The four-minute clip, which Johnson also shared to his personal social media, gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the new film and features early footage of Johnson as the titular character.
The clip opens with actor Pierce Brosnan saying that he's never seen anything like this before, even during his tenure as British Secret Service agent, James Bond. In the film, Brosnan plays DC comics character Doctor Fate, a superhero who, similar to Marvel Comics Doctor Strange, is able to cast spells and magic. Even though Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme is better-known thanks to the success of the MCU, Doctor Fate's first appearance in the comics actually predates that of his Marvel equivalent. The featurette also introduces the rest of the cast, including, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and of course Johnson as Black Adam.
The clip also gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the rigorous filming process for what looks to be one of DC's biggest films yet. Then, Johnson himself takes the virtual stage DC Fandome 2021, welcoming fans to the event. He explains that this character and the film have been a huge passion project for him, saying that he was born to play the character. He also describes the upcoming film as having some of the "biggest action sequences" he's ever filmed, which considering Johnson's career, is definitely saying something. Johnsons then presents fans with a first look at the new film, a short clip which he explains will show us why the "hierarchy of power" in the DC universe is about to change forever.
In the short clip, several armed soldiers search for something deep underground in what looks like some kind of temple, or perhaps a tomb. However, they awaken something in the dark. A bolt of electricity knocks them back, and as the smoke clears we see a hooded figure kneeling on the ground. One of the nameless gunmen approaches the figure, who grabs him by the throat and effortlessly lifts him off the ground. With a surge of electricity, the figure incinerates the man, leaving behind a crisp skeleton. The other mercenaries open fire, but their bullets are no match for this seemingly indestructible god. As they open fire he levitates into the air, revealing a lighting bolt logo. This is Black Adam.
While he was first introduced as a villain in the comics, in more recent years Black Adam has been redefined as more of an anti-hero. While we don't know too much about the plot it's likely that the character in this film will be framed in a similar way. However, based on this footage alone, Black Adam looks pretty terrifying, even if he is being played by the always charming Dwayne Johnson. Even In his Twitter post, Johnson describes the character as "Ruthless" and "Unstoppable", and from the looks of it, he is not kidding. Shazam and his family better watch out.
Black Adam is scheduled to be released on July 29, 2022.
Source: Dwayne Johnson|Twitter