Dwayne Johnson Reflects on His DCEU Stint in Ill-Fated ‘Black Adam’

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Dwayne Johnson recently shared his thoughts on his experience with the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and the movie Black Adam, saying he genuinely enjoyed working on it. While he was originally planned to play a larger part in future DC films, Black Adam‘s disappointing performance at the box office and the subsequent reboot of the franchise under James Gunn and Peter Safran led to those plans being cancelled. Despite this, Johnson remains positive about this chapter in his career and doesn’t seem to hold any resentment.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently appeared on The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast, recorded at Chapman University. He discussed lessons learned from his wrestling career, his move into acting, and projects like Jumanji and Black Adam. When asked about his role in the DC Extended Universe and if his wrestling background impacted his portrayal of the DC antihero Black Adam (Teth-Adam), Johnson shared some thoughts on how those experiences connected.

I really enjoyed my time playing the villain in wrestling, and it felt like a stepping stone to becoming the anti-hero that people know me as, The Rock. I had a fantastic experience making Black Adam. We all had a great time creating those characters and building that universe, and I wish the best for its future. Now, I’m excited to move on to new projects.

Despite a lot of hype, Black Adam didn’t perform well. While it made $393 million worldwide, that wasn’t enough to cover its estimated $190-$260 million production cost. Critics weren’t impressed either, giving it a 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and pointing out weak character development and a predictable story. Although general audiences enjoyed the film more, with an 87% approval rating, the new leadership at DC decided not to move forward with it.

Will There Ever Be a ‘Black Adam’ Sequel?


Warner Bros. Pictures

I was really excited when the first Black Adam movie hinted at a showdown with Superman, played by Henry Cavill, in a sequel! But when James Gunn and Peter Safran took charge at DC Studios, everything changed. They basically started over with a new vision for the DC Universe, and unfortunately, that meant Black Adam 2 was canceled. Dwayne Johnson, who played Black Adam, has said his character won’t be part of the first phase of the new DC plans, Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Still, he’s left the door open to potentially appearing in future DC projects, which is a little bit of good news, even though we won’t see a sequel.

Since the release of Black Adam in 2022, Dwayne Johnson’s career has flourished. While he’s continued to star in major action films, he’s also been intentionally seeking roles that allow him to showcase his range and avoid being typecast. This desire for more complex characters was evident in his well-received performance in A24’s The Smashing Machine, which earned him a lengthy standing ovation at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. Johnson seems to have successfully found a balance between big-budget franchises and challenging dramatic work, meaning he remains in high demand even without the Black Adam project.

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2025-11-07 20:19