Along with finally allowing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to shine in the superhero realm after more than a decade of being attached to the project in some form or fashion, the upcoming Black Adam movie will also point the spotlight on the Justice Society of America, DC Comics’ oldest superhero team. Among the members of the DCEU’s JSA will be the wind-manipulating Cyclone, and it’s been reported that Netflix actress Quintessa Swindell will be the one to bring Cyclone to life.
This casting updates comes from THR, making Quintessa Swindell the fifth actor to be announced for Black Adam. We’ve known since late 2019 that the JSA would factor into Black Adam, and in July, it was announced that fellow Netflix performer Noah Centineo was being brought on to play Atom Smasher. This was followed by The Invisible Man actor Aldis Hodge being cast as Hawkman in September, and Person of Interest’s Sarah Shahi being cast in October as “a university professor and freedom fighter leading the resistance in Kahndaq.” Now with the Cyclone role filled, that leaves Doctor Fate as the final JSA member to be cast in Black Adam. There were also once plans to include Hawkgirl, but they were tabled for undisclosed reasons.
Quintessa Swindell hasn’t been professionally acting for that long, but they’ve already quite the splash starring in the Netflix teen drama Trinkets. The show, which aired its second and final season last August, saw Swindell playing Tabitha Foster, a kleptomaniac who hails from a wealthy family and struggles with trying to please everyone in her sphere. Swindell’s other credits an episode of HBO’s Euphoria and the upcoming movie Voyagers, and they’re also currently filming In Treatment (which will also air on HBO) alongside Uzo Aduba.
Although the Justice Society of America had existed in the comics since 1940, like Atom Smasher, Cyclone, whose real name is Maxine Hunkel, is one of the modern additions to the team, first appearing in 2006’s Justice Society of America #1. Maxine is the granddaughter of Ma Hunkel, the Golden Age Red Tornado, although while Ma lacked superpowers, Maxine gained the ability to fly and manipulate wind after being kidnapped and experimented on by Dr. T.O. Morrow, the creator of the android Red Tornado, as a child. Black Adam will mark Cyclone’s first time appearing outside of the comics, although it remains to be seen how much Quintessa Swindell’s version of the character will line up with the printed page incarnation.
With Dwayne Johnson having finished filming Netflix’s Red Notice, the plan is for Black Adam to begin principal photography by suing 2021. No plot details have been revealed yet, although judging by the concept art shown at DC FanDome last summer, it looks like Johnson’s eponymous character will fight the Justice Society in the present day, and we’ll also flash back to ancient times to learn how the man once known as Teth-Adam gained his powers (which was teased in Shazam!). Behind the cameras, Jungle Cruise’s Jaume Collet-Serra is directing, with Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani having penned the latest draft of the screenplay.
Black Adam was previously slated to come out in December 2021, but now it’s undated, so we’ll be sure to update you once a new release date is announced. Keep track of other forthcoming DC movies with our handy guide.
