| For other uses, see Black Adam (disambiguation). |
- "The world needed a hero. Instead, it got me."
- ―Black Adam
Black Adam is a 2022 superhero film, based on the DC Comics anti-hero of the same name. Co-produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, and Flynn Picture Company. It serves as a spin-off to Shazam! and is the eleventh installment in the DC Extended Universe. The film was released on October 21, 2022.
The film is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from a screenplay by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani, and stars Dwayne Johnson as Teth Adam/Black Adam alongside Aldis Hodge as Carter Hall/Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Al Rothstein/Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi as Professor Adrianna Tomaz, Marwan Kenzari as Ishmael Gregor/Sabbac, Quintessa Swindell as Maxine Hunkel/Cyclone, Bodhi Sabongui as Amon Tomaz, and Pierce Brosnan as Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate.
Synopsis[]
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian Gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.[1]
Plot[]
Five thousand years ago, the nation of Kahndaq was under the tyrannical rule of king Ahk-Ton, who intended to create the Crown of Sabbac, which is known to give the wearer great power. After enslaving his people and forcing them to dig for "Eternium" - the magical crystal needed to create the crown - a young boy leads the slaves to revolt against him. When the boy is given the power of Shazam, transforming him into Kahndaq's heroic champion Teth-Adam, he kills Ahk-Ton and ends his reign.
In the present day, Khandaq is oppressed by the Intergang. Archaeologist Adrianna Tomaz tries to locate the Crown of Sabbac, with the help of her brother Karim, and colleagues Samir and Ishmael. As Adrianna obtains the crown, they are ambushed by the Intergang, killing Samir in the process. Adrianna accidentally reads an incantation which awakens Adam from his slumber, who subsequently slaughters most of the Intergang troops. After an Intergang soldier shoots an Eternium rocket at Adam which renders him comatose, it is revealed that Ishmael is an Intergang member who intends to take the crown for himself.
Government official Amanda Waller learns of the incident and contacts Carter Hall to assist in taking Adam into custody. Hawkman is accompanied by his fellow members of the Justice Society of America, consisting of Doctor Fate, Cyclone, and Atom Smasher, to stop Adam.
Adrianna sees an inscription on an inner part of the Crown which states "Life is the only way to death". Adrianna's son Amon sees Adam as Khandaq's hero, but Adam denies it and departs. Wanting to prove to Kahndaq that their champion has reawakened, Amon makes a ruckus with the Intergang, successfully leading Adam to intervene and overpower them. The JSA arrive in time to stop Adam from doing further destruction. As they fight, Fate senses that Adrianna has the Crown of Sabbac. They manage to stop Adam for a while before he flees to the ruins of Akh-Ton's palace. The JSA ask Adrianna to give them the crown, but she declines until they tell her the truth that Adam was the one who lost control of his power five thousand years ago and destroyed most of Khandaq.
The crown is given to Amon, who takes it back home. Ishmael is there with Karim, and reveals his true colors. Amon runs away from Ishmael, who shoots and wounds Karim, and chases Amon. Meanwhile, Adrianna and the JSA meet Adam, and attempt to convince him that he can be a hero to Khandaq, before Amon calls Adrianna, who pleads to Adam to save him. Adam immediately comes to the rescue, but Ishmael manages to abduct Amon and flees on an Eternium bike. Adam tries to rescue Amon by dealing with the Intergang on bikes to no avail. As Adam goes back to Adrianna's home, Hawkman manages to capture two Intergang members and interrogate them about their hideout. Adam uses brute force to interrogate both of them and learns where the Intergang's hideout is, but his way of interrogation enrages Hawkman. As Adam and Hawkman fight, they find that Amon hid the Crown of Sabbac in plain sight. They intend to use the Crown to trade with Amon and must fight side by side to save him. On their way, Fate reveals to Hawkman of his premonition about Hawkman's death.
They reach Ishmael, who reveals that he is the last descendant of King Akh-Ton and, wanting his rightful place in the throne, demands the crown, which Adrianna willingly gives to save Amon's life. Unfortunately, Ishmael betrays his part of the deal by shooting Amon and putting the crown on himself. As Adam tries to save Amon, he loses control again and destroys the hideout with his power, until the JSA protects Amon and Adrianna as Ishmael dies in the process.
Guilt-ridden, Adam flees to the ruins again. There, he reveals to Hawkman that it was actually Hurut, his son, who was Khandaq's champion; knowing that Hurut was invincible, the king's men executed Hurut's family instead, killing Isis and mortally wounding Adam in the process. Hurut gave his power to Adam to save him, but Akh-Ton's archer managed to kill the now-powerless Hurut. Enraged, Adam slaughtered all of the king's men, before he was summoned by the wizards of Shazam, who imprisoned him after deeming him unworthy. Feeling incapable of becoming Khandaq's champion and protecting it, Adam then surrenders to the JSA, who take him to Waller's underwater prison. Soon after, Fate continues to see the ominous premonition. It is later revealed that Ishmael intentionally made Adam kill him so that he can be reborn as Sabbac, which he succeeds in doing so, and arises from the underworld to Khandaq to claim his throne.
The JSA arrive in time trying to stop Sabbac, who summons the undead to Khandaq. Adrianna and Amon fight them, with Karim joining them. Amon asks for the people of Khandaq to fight together against the undead for Kahndaq's freedom.
The JSA prepare to face Sabbac in Akh-Ton's ruins. However, Fate creates a magical force field which forbids Hawkman, Cyclone and Atom Smasher from coming into the ruins, and reveals that Hawkman's death can be avoided, with Fate's sacrifice. Fate then fights Sabbac alone, and at the same time uses astral projection to release Adam from his suspended animation so Adam can help them. Adam manages to escape the prison, but Sabbac kills Fate. Fate's death causes the force field to disappear, allowing Hawkman, Cyclone and Atom Smasher try to fight Sabbac, who overpowers them. Just as he is about to kill the JSA, Adam arrives, and engages Sabbac, but is slowly losing as Sabbac's power can harm him. Hawkman uses Fate's helmet to create magical duplicates and spells, having learned from Fate, to help Adam kill Sabbac, ultimately stopping the undead.
The JSA depart on good terms with Adam, who accepts his new role as protector of Khandaq rather than its ruler. In a mid-credits scene, Waller communicates with a defiant Adam, warning him about forces ready to stop him, before he is confronted by Superman.
Cast[]
- Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam/Black Adam
- Aldis Hodge as Carter Hall/Hawkman
- Noah Centineo as Al Rothstein/Atom Smasher
- Sarah Shahi as Professor Adrianna Tomaz
- Marwan Kenzari as Ishmael Gregor/Sabbac and King Ahk-Ton
- Quintessa Swindell as Maxine Hunkel/Cyclone
- Bodhi Sabongui as Amon Tomaz
- Mo Amer as Karim
- James Cusati-Moyer as Samir
- Pierce Brosnan as Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate
- Jalon Christian as Hurut
- Uli Latukefu as Adult Hurut
- Odelya Halevi as Shiruta
- Jennifer Holland as Agent Emilia Harcourt
- Henry Winkler as Al Pratt
- Djimon Hounsou as Shazam
- Patrick Sabongui as Rami
- Viola Davis as Director Amanda Waller
- Henry Cavill as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman (mid-credit scene)
Appearances[]
Characters[]
(flashbacks)
(mentioned)
(mentioned)
(mentioned)
(mentioned)
(mentioned)
(mentioned)
(mentioned)
(indirectly mentioned)
(flashbacks)
(poster)
(poster)
(comic book)
(comic and poster)
(toy and poster)
(toy)
Locations[]
- Multiverse
- Earth-1
- Earth
- Antarctica
- Babylon (mentioned)
- Egypt
- Italy (mentioned)
- Rome (mentioned)
- Kahndaq
- Shiruta
- Kahndaqi Fried Chicken
- Palace of Kahndaq
- Kahndaqi University (mentioned)
- KQI Bank
- Raphaël Bakery
- Sunken Street
- Al Hadidiyah Mountains
- Shiruta
- United States of America
- Delaware
- Metropolis (poster)
- New Jersey (poster)
- Gotham City (poster)
- Louisiana
- Delaware
- Earth
- Hell
- Earth-1
Events[]
- The Revolt (flashbacks)
- Massacre in Kahndaq (flashbacks)
- Massacre of the Council of Wizards (flashbacks)
- Uprising of Kahndaq
- World War II (mentioned)
Items[]
- A.R.G.U.S. drones
- Amulet of Anubis
- Atlan's armor (poster)
- Atom Smasher's suit
- Batsuit (toy and poster)
- Cloak of Destiny
- Crown of Sabbac
- Cyclone's suit
- Eternium
- Eternium shield
- Flash suit (poster)
- Helmet of Fate
- Lasso of Hestia (poster)
- Staff of the Gods
- Nth metal
- Shazam suits
- Staff of the Gods (flashbacks)
- Superman's skinsuits (post-credit scene)
- Trident of Atlan (poster)
- Wonder Woman's armor (comic and poster)
Vehicles[]
Sentient species[]
- Demons
- Egyptian Gods (magic only)
- Homo Magi
- Humans
- Metahumans
- Kryptonians (post-credit scene)
- Old Gods (mentioned)
Organizations[]
- A.R.G.U.S.
- Council of Wizards (flashbacks)
- FedEx
- House of El (post-credit scene)
- Intergang
- Justice League (mentioned)[2]
- Justice Society
- Lords of Order (mentioned)
- Legions of Hell
- Shiruta Electronics
- Task Force X
- United States Army (mentioned)
Production[]
Initially set to be introduced in Shazam!, by January 2017 the production studios involved divided the narrative of Shazam and Black Adam to focus on the latter's superhero origin, and downfall into villainy.[3] By October 2017, Adam Sztykiel was hired as the screenwriter.[4] Co-producer Hiram Garcia stated the film will be gritty and violent, similar to the comics.[5]
On August 28, 2018, when asked about the status of Black Adam by Collider, Dany Garcia said "Black Adam is definitely happening. We’re actually very deep into a script on it right now, which is coming along really well. I’m really excited about the story we’ve crafted." Garcia revealed that Adam Styzkiel had written a script and that they had been reviewing it.[6]
On June 7, 2019, Jaume Collet-Serra was announced to be directing the solo film.[7] On November 14, 2019, Dwayne Johnson released a teaser poster for the movie with a release date for December 22, 2021.[8] On November 21, 2019, Dwayne Johnson and The Wrap announced that the Justice Society of America and its members will appear in the film.[9]
On August 22, 2020, during its panel for DC Fandome, Dwayne revealed that this project had been in development for 10+ years.[10] [11] On October 5, 2020, the film was pushed to an unknown date.[12]
On March 9, 2022, Johnson revealed the new release date for the film to be October 21, 2022.[13]
Casting[]
On November 2, 2007, Dwayne Johnson was cast to portray Black Adam in the Shazam! film.[14]
On November 30, 2019, the film is reported to include iconic JSA characters like Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone.
On July 16, 2020, Noah Centineo was cast to portray Atom Smasher in the film.[15] On September 25, 2020, Aldis Hodge was cast to portray Hawkman in the film.[16] On October 14, 2020, Sarah Shahi joined the cast in an undisclosed role, which she later confirmed on her Instagram account to be Adrianna Tomaz.[17] On December 14, 2020, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Quintessa Swindell was cast to portray Cyclone in the film.[18]
On February 17, 2021, Marwan Kenzari joined the cast in an undisclosed role.[19] On March 24, 2021, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Pierce Brosnan joined the cast as Doctor Fate.[20] On April 7, 2021, Deadline reported that James Cusati-Moyer had joined the cast[21] and the next day, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Bodhi Sabongui had also joined the cast in a key role.[22] On April 13, 2021, Deadline reported that Mo Amer joined the cast.[23] On April 29, 2021, Deadline reported that Uli Latukefu joined the cast.[24] On July 24, 2021, it was reported that Djimon Hounsou would reprise his role as the wizard Shazam in the film.[25][26]
On June 9, 2022, the Black Adam movie website confirmed that Kenzari and Sabongui would be portraying Sabbac and Amon Tomaz.[27]
Filming[]
Principal photography supposedly was scheduled to begin by late 2019.[28]
In April 2018, Johnson said that the script of the film had been completed and it might start filming at the end of 2019, after completing Jumanji 3 and Red Notice.[29] On October 18, 2018, Dwayne Johnson revealed on Twitter that production for the film would begin in July 2020.[30][31]
On July 22, 2020, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Black Adam likely wouldn't begin filming until 2021 due to Dwayne Johnson's commitment to Red Notice.[32]
On February 17, 2021, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the film would start production that April in Atlanta.[19] On April 7, 2021, Dwayne Johnson revealed that the film would begin production the same week.[33] On April 10, 2021, Dwayne Johnson confirmed that the film had officially begun production.[34] On July 6, 2021, Dwayne Johnson revealed that the film had entered its last week of production.[35] On July 15, 2021, Johnson announced that filming had officially wrapped.[36]
On July 23, 2022, Johnson made an appearance at San Diego Comic Con 2022.[37]
Future[]
In May 2021, producer Dany Garcia said that Johnson and the other producers plan to produce multiple Black Adam films during their "long-term relationship with DC".[38][39]
A sequel was in development, however on December 20, 2022, Johnson revealed Black Adam will not be apart of James Gunn's first phase plans going forward, however exploring other ways to utilize the character.
Music[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Murder to Excellence | Kanye West and Jay-Z |
|
| Bullet With Butterfly Wings | The Smashing Pumpkins | Amon Tomaz skates through Shiruta City |
| Baby Come Back | Player |
|
| Paint It, Black | The Rolling Stones | Teth-Adam is freed while the Intergang mercenaries try to fight him |
| Power | Kanye West | Black Adam attacks the Intergang mines |
| Superman's Theme | John Williams | Superman confronts Black Adam |
| Exile | Eric Zayne | End credits |
Videos[]
Trailer[]
Clips[]
Featurettes[]
Other[]
References[]
External Links[]
