It's been a while since we've heard anything about the Shazam spin-off movie Black Adam. Today, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson posted a release date on Instagram for the upcoming movie, which is more than a year away.
Coming to theaters on December 22, 2021, Johnson showed off some concept art as well. The art--which depicts Johnson as the villainous Black Adam--was created by legendary artist Jim Lee and Boss Logic. You can check it out below.
The photo is accompanied by a long note from Johnson, proclaiming how excited he is to play the role. Originally, it was announced in 2014 that Black Adam was going to be the villain in the Shazam movie starring Zachary Levi--which came out earlier this year. For whatever reason, that never came to fruition, and in August of 2018, it was announced Johnson would be starring in a solo Black Adam movie.
The comic book villain made his first appearance back in 1945 in the Fawcett Comics' series The Marvel Family. Years later, Black Adam, and the rest of the Marvel Family, arrived at DC Comics as the main antagonist of Shazam. In recent years, Black Adam has become more of a complex anti-hero rather than straight-up villain.
In DC continuity, the wizard Shazam gave Teth-Adam his powers thousands of years before Billy Batson got his. Teth-Adam began as a hero but slowly, he used his super-abilities for evil, letting his power corrupt him. Becoming Black Adam, the character was feared in his homeland. In recent years, he actions aren't always evil. He does things for the greater good, trying to lead humanity to a new era. However, some of his actions come with dire consequences.
Black Adam comes to theaters on December 22, 2021.