Despite the fact that Black Adam was a movie that struggled with audiences, the behind-the-scenes stories of everything that has been going on with the film both before and after its release have continued to fascinate. And while it doesn’t appear that Black Adam the character will be on the big screen anytime soon, we’re learning that there was actually more than one chance for that, but Dwayne Johnson and his team declined.
We had already heard a rumor that Dwayne Johnson had been asked to cameo in the upcoming Shazam: Fury of the Gods, a move which made sense due to the long comic book history between the two characters. Johnson reportedly declined to appear, which seemed to add fuel to the idea that The Rock just didn't like the Shazam! franchise. But a reporter for The Wrap is now saying Johnson was also given the chance to appear in The Flash, and that opportunity was also declined.
The Flash movie was expected to include many different versions of popular DC characters, including both the current and former big screen iterations of some. How Black Adam would have fit into the film is unclear, but it certainly would have made sense to see DC’s newest powerhouse at least appear a few months later as a few to reinforce the character with audiences.
It’s unclear exactly why Dwayne Johnson’s producing partner Hiram Garcia declined the cameo, but knowing that Dwayne Johnson declined not just one, but two DC cameo appearances in other films, it sounds like Johnson may have a bigger issue with making cameos in general than he does with particular DC franchises. The idea that Johnson has a serious issue with DC’s Shazam! franchise always sounded strange considering The Rock’s Seven Bucks Productions co-produced the first movie.
Of course, at this point it’s looking like not appearing in The Flash may have been the best call due to the fact that even if he had, the appearance may have ended up getting cut. It’s being reported that both Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot filmed their own cameos to appear as Superman and Wonder Woman, but that those scenes have been removed from the movie set to release next summer.
The reason for the removal is unknown, but coming as it does, after James Gunn and Peter Safran have taken over as the heads of DC Films, and knowing that Gunn and Safran are moving forward without Cavill as Superman, and with no clear way forward with Gadot as Wonder Woman, it’s possible the cameo cut was made for larger franchise reasons. And knowing that current DC Films plans also do not include Black Adam either, it’s possible he might have seen the cameo cut as well.
