These days, when you watch a movie starring Dwayne Johnson, you get a general sense of the kind of protagonist he plays. Beneath his enviable physique, he’s a muscular good guy with a heart of gold, and a better man amidst harsh scrapes. They will help you rather than knock you to the ground.
But that’s not the role that ubiquitous action star Johnson, 50, plays. “Black Adam” What Warner Bros. is releasing on Friday. In the latest installment of the film franchise based on the DC Comics character (known as DC Extended His Universe), Johnson will be cast as the title character.
Using his amazing abilities and general lack of interest in human life, Black Adam sets out to free his fictional homeworld of Kahnduk from the criminal regime that currently runs it. increase. In doing so, while attracting the unwanted attention of the Justice Society, including Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), he becomes the savior of Karduk’s citizens and can trust Black Adam. You will not be sure if
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra “Jungle Cruise”), “Black Adam” comes to life long-running comic book villains Traditionally served as nemesis for the young heroes seen in the 2019 DC movies “Shazam!”
“Black Adam” is also a project that Johnson has been working on for years. as a bad guy WWF (now WWE) professional wrestling league.
As Johnson explained in a video call earlier this month, he appreciated “Black Adam”‘s willingness to question the motives of the Justice Society, the motives of the story’s obvious good guys.
“Where have all these beloved heroes been for decades?” he said. “They have never been to Kahn Duk and have not cared for the oppressed for over 5,000 years. But there is one man, their champion, who will come back to protect them. I am that I love the commentary and the conversation it can spark.”
Johnson also spoke about the creation of “Black Adam,” his long-standing appreciation for the character, and his connection to his professional wrestling days. the rock isThese are edited excerpts from that conversation.
Black Adam is a role you’ve been waiting to play for a long time. What was important to you about the character?
I’ve been fighting and pushing for this for almost 15 years. Admittedly, I was a DC boy growing up. I liked Marvel, but I also liked DC.my saturday morning cartoon “Super Friends”. I get it from a studio perspective. Continuing to invest in IP is a safer bet [intellectual property] what the world knows. Justice League — Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman. I know that. But it’s compelling for the studio to look beyond Justice League to the DC Universe, and there are some really cool characters out there. Black Adam has been sitting for almost 80 years.
Was it difficult to keep the powder dry when you were supposedly able to play so many other cartoon characters during this time?
I was asked to play a few other superheroes by an unnamed person, and it ended up being played by other actors. But I always had a gut feeling that Black Adam was the character for me.When I first saw the Black Adam comic, I was intrigued. There was intensity in Black Adam’s face. There was a little anger on that comic book cover. Oh he had brown skin like me. It immediately intrigued me. who’s that? I want to be him
Was it important to you to be able to display characters in color on the big screen?
The key is to invest in more superhero characters of color, and Black Adam is one of them. It was very important to me and one of the reasons I couldn’t let go.
Was there a point where you decided between playing Shazam and Black Adam? Their motivations are vastly different, to say the least.
When I started talking to Warner Bros. about this almost 15 years ago, I had that option. Want to play Shazam? Want to play Black Adam? I appreciated the mythology behind the characters and their connections. But I always knew in my heart that I was Black Adam, and in the original script that came out six or seven years ago, both Shazam and Black Adam’s origin his story was about It was told in a 100 minute movie. It was complicated and didn’t serve both properly. I called the people who were running Warner Bros. at the time and this guy said they should separate the two so they could tell their own origin stories. The process was then protracted and delayed. They said, “Shazam! First. [Laughs.] I said, OK, no problem.
You’ve played heroic characters in movies for years. Was it dangerous to play Black Adam, whose morality is not so easily defined?
I embraced all the traits that made him a supervillain: his violence, his brutality, and his philosophy of justice. hardcore justice. He is very economical not only in words, but also in strength. he is not a killer That’s, well, those who are coming to them. But I never considered it a risk. If he’s violent, brutal, and full of rage, that’s one thing. Sometimes it’s not a risk.
At a time when the league embraced ruthless men, sexualized women, and obscene language, you were a heel, a willful villain during your time as a professional wrestler. Was it helpful?
It really was. Even in the wild and unpredictable world of professional wrestling, playing heel had great benefits.That’s when I became the best and greatest heel the company had ever done. era of attitudeThe company wasn’t listed, so we didn’t stand out. And some things we were able to get away with — a lot of things — have been in big trouble lately. really taught me that I can do anything.
As a heel, did you have to learn to accept being there so that the audience could boo you?
I was a babyface before I became a big villain. [the good guy]I was told, “I don’t have enough smiles.” Vince McMahon said “You gotta get out there and be grateful to be here.” I got booed in every arena across the country. So I had to endure that kind of vitriol.
The DC Extended Universe has taken unexpected twists and turns — some movies that seemed like sure-fire hits weren’t, and other left-wing entries were surprising successes. Add more pressure to ‘Adam’?
Yes I accept it.It’s a unique time in the superhero genre, with fresh blood and new characters being introduced on both sides of the aisle – at Marvel and DC. I am Warner Bros. New LeadershipAnd new leadership on the DC side is coming soon. I am very confident about the direction of the DC Universe. It will require real strategy and real leadership. To that end, look at Marvel’s success and don’t expect to follow that blueprint. That’s Marvel. I am very happy with them. In my opinion, we don’t want to be Marvel. We want to be DC and we want to do it our way.