Black Adam 2: Updates, DCU Future & Everything We Know (2024)

After years of development and shake-ups, Dwayne Johnson finally made his debut as Teth-Adam in the DC Extended Universe film Black Adam — but his return for Black Adam 2 is far from guaranteed. With Black Adam's ending leaving a few things open-ended and revealed a major character return, it seems a Black Adam sequel could've been on the horizon. However, Black Adam had a notoriously controversial run at the box office, and the recent DCU slate for Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters didn't include Black Adam sequel, naturally leading to questions regarding the prospective film.

Much has been made about Black Adam, with Johnson hyping up the superhero film as a game-changer for the DC movie franchise moving forward, despite unfavorable reviews. The Black Adam film itself came at a time of uncertainty for DC films, with Discovery acquiring Warner Bros. and causing a few shake-ups internally as well as the end of the DCEU movie timeline, as well as the surprising cancelation of Batgirl. Black Adam was supposed to be a turning point for the franchise, but it doesn't look as though Black Adam 2 is happening. Here is everything to know about the canceled Black Adam 2.

The Latest Black Adam 2 News

As of now, Black Adam 2 has not been confirmed, and indeed appears to at best be in a state of limbo, as the sequel did not show up on James Gunn's revitalized DCU slate for Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. While there were other exciting new announcements, such as a new Superman and a new Batman, these new revelations also add another problem for Black Adam 2: Henry Cavill is not returning as Superman. While the Black Adam post-credits scene obviously teased this, the actor officially will not be returning for the role, with a new Superman actor set to be cast for Superman: Legacy. Therefore, a Superman vs. Black Adam fight doesn't look like it's in the cards.

To add to this, more recent DCU reports have stated that no member of the DCEU Justice League will be reprising their roles within the DCU, which is notable in that it underlines the new era of the franchise attempting to push away from the old by replacing its big superhero castings. This suggests the Rock's Black Adam casting could also be subject to changes, as it's impossible for audiences to avoid associating this iteration of the character with his initial DCEU movie role.

Black Adam 2 being snubbed in the Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate isn't the only troubling update for the future of the superhero. Dwayne Johnson released a tweet that commented on the fact that Black Adam 2 was excluded from the upcoming DC movies slate, but also said "However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters." What this assuredly means is that Black Adam 2 definitively isn't in the cards, but it doesn't mean actor Dwayne Johnson won't appear as the character in other DC properties.

However, the Rock's increased presence in WWE in 2024 may suggest his priorities lie more in and around the ring for at least the immediate future. The actor returned to the wrestling scene in dramatic fashion from February 2024 onward, building to his match in WrestleMania 40, where he would team up with Roman Reigns against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. The build up to this match was one of the most hyped story elements in WWE at the time, and the WrestleMania event payoff saw audiences praise it as perhaps the best WrestleMania show of all time.

With this came a considerable financial success, as well, with WrestleMania 40 reportedly breaking the WWE's all-time gate record in one day according to the company themselves. Given the prior record came in at $21.6 million, this marks a major fiscal win, especially taking into account the fact that this isn't including pay-per-view sales, which themselves will have been substantial - and will in no small capacity been influenced by viewers wanting to watch the Rock wrestle once more.

Though Dwayne Johnson could viably leave things there on the wrestling side of things should he want to, the reaction to his return has received so much positive attention that it's more likely this will be followed up on in the near future. Indeed, the wrestler teased as much in a social media video on April 15, 2024, stating "what an honour it was to break records and now my sites are set on the next Wrestlemania. But that’s a conversation down the road."

It wouldn't be impossible for the performer to balance his prospective wrestling future with another superhero performance. However, balancing potential future matches and WWE appearances with his existing upcoming movie roles as well as a superhero reprisal might be too much even for someone as successful as Dwayne Johnson. As such, it would make sense if the circ*mstances surrounding Black Adam and DC's movie reboot meant this all culminated in no repeat performance as the iconic antihero.

On the plus side, James Gunn replied to Johnson's tweet, saying "Love @TheRock & I'm always excited to see what he & Seven Bucks do next. Can't wait to collaborate soon." This at least suggests Gunn isn't completely done with Black Adam yet. Given Black Adam's post-credits close with the titular character encountering Amanda Waller, it's possible this might allow Johnson to reprise his role in either Waller's own series, or Peacemaker season 2. In the meantime, rather than focus on Black Adam 2 the DCU could benefit from exploring other popular characters from the film, such as the Justice Society heroes Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone.

Is Black Adam 2 Happening?

Black Adam 2 has not officially been confirmed by Warner Bros. Considering the DCU Chapter 1 plan goes out past 2026, it’s possible fans might have to wait a while longer before hearing about a potential sequel - and inversely, if the series did finish with its first and only movie, it'll take some more time for this to become explicitly clear. There had been speculation that Black Adam could cross over to other DCU films, possibly interacting with Shazam, one of the antihero’s nemeses in the comics. However, Black Adam's box office numbers weren't all that great, meaning it appears Gunn and Safran don't want to move forward with another solo Black Adam movie.

Black Adam's Streaming Success Makes Black Adam 2 More Possible Than Before

Black Adam saw less than stellar critical success - with a 38% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes - and a $393 million box office that reportedly didn't break even on the movie's budget, the film did see more success down the line with streaming. Upon releasing on Netflix, Black Adam quickly rose to a place in its Global Top Ten charts, getting 2.7 million views in the span of one week.

While this isn't as promising as box office success or success with critics - as there's a good chance at least some views were people curious to see if Black Adam deserved the more negative parts of its reception - it does show that the movie's lasting reputation may have changed in the not inconsiderable amount of time since its release. Indeed, it's worth noting that, while the critic score for Black Adam on Rotten Tomatoes is on the lower side, the audience score as of 2024 is at 88%.

This is significantly more positive, and is a result that notably may be down to Black Adam's streaming release and the wider audience that was opened up to watching the movie who may have found themselves unexpected fans of the film. A new, more positive reception, when combined with the high streaming view count, may mean Black Adam 2 - or a DCU reboot of Black Adam that serves as a spiritual sequel - is more viable.

Black Adam 2 Cast

If Black Adam 2 were to happen, Dwayne Johnson would assuredly reprise his role as the titular antihero, given how much he has personally put into the film. It's possible that Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) could return for another installment. Unfortunately, Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) bit the dust during Black Adam, so he won't be back for the sequel. Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) could also make a return after helping save the world, along with her brother Karim (Mohammed Ahmer).

Black Adam 2 Story Details

What the Black Adam 2 story could have been remains a mystery, as the sequel has been seemingly scrapped according to Dwayne Johnson's Twitter statement. Black Adam's ending saw the fall of Sabbac thanks to the eponymous hero and the Justice Society. Therefore, the next possible avenue for the superhero's story lies in other DCU projects. Since Superman was teased in the Black Adam post-credits scene, it's possible that the antihero could show up in Superman: Legacy, though this may not be viable this is given the scale of other DC movie hero recastings to build a fresh slate for the impending movie.

Since Amanda Waller appears in Black Adam's post-credits, he could appear in Waller, or Peacemaker season 2 - which would make sense, as Black Adam was in the Suicide Squad comic roster briefly, and Gunn's approval of the casting could mean a reconfiguration of this storyline lives on. This is a route that holds a lot of promise - and would potentially reunite Johnson and John Cena, who are both wrestling icons - but could be made unlikely by the budget these shows would have, as Johnson's most recent movie roles have had a salary of several millions. The only near-certainty about where the character could appear next is that it won't be in Black Adam 2 anytime soon.

Black Adam

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Dwayne Johnson stars as DC's anti-hero in Black Adam, a villain, sometimes hero, with a brutal brand of justice. After emerging from 5,000-year imprisonment in Egypt, Black Adam awakes to the new world and decides to punish the wicked with a far less merciful justice. Unfortunately, his temper makes a big enough impact to summon the Justice League of America, sending the likes of Hawkman and Doctor Fate to contend with Black Adam and try to persuade him to ease up and take a more diplomatic path. Regardless of Black Adam's grievances with the JLA, he soon realizes he'll need to team up with them when an even more significant threat emerges to stop them.

Director

Jaume Collet-Serra

Release Date

October 21, 2022

Cast

Noah Centineo , Pierce Brosnan , Mo Amer , Marwan Kenzari , Aldis Hodge , Bodhi Sabongui , Uli Latukefu , James Cusati-Moyer , Dwayne Johnson , Sarah Shahi , Quintessa Swindell