Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Black Adam’ Sets Christmas 2021 Release

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has revealed the release date for “Black Adam,” his superhero movie spinoff of “Shazam!” The DC film will open on Dec. 22, 2021.

The Rock also shared a new poster featuring a drawn rendering of himself for the film on his Instagram. Check it out below.

In his post, Johnson said he always wanted to be a superhero growing up, specifically Superman but realized he could never attain Clark Kent’s nobility and goodness. However, Johnson said he found the hero that’s right for him.

“Black Adam is blessed by magic with the powers equal to Superman, but the difference is he doesn’t toe the mark or walk the line. He’s a rebellious, one of a kind superhero, who’ll always do what’s right for the people – but he does it his way,” Johnson wrote. “Truth and justice – the Black Adam way. This role is unlike any other I’ve ever played in my career and I’m grateful to the bone we’ll all go on this journey together.”

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Production is slated to begin in June. Johnson has been attached to the role since 2008 and will produce “Black Adam” with Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia via their Seven Bucks Productions banner, along with Beau Flynn and executive producer Scott Sheldon of FlynnPictureCo. Jaume Collet-Serra will direct.

Johnson didn’t show up as Black Adam in David F. Sandberg’s “Shazam!” earlier this year, with Sandberg explaining that both characters required their own introduction in separate films. But the character was teased. When the Wizard first summons Billy Batson to the Rock of Eternity, the Wizard tells the story that thousands of years ago, he had chosen a champion to be worthy of his powers, only for that champion to cause death and destruction. A golden hologram appears inside the Rock of Eternity as the Wizard tells the story, clearly showing the previous champion, Black Adam, who turned to the dark side and used his powers for evil, resulting in the Seven Deadly Sins being unleashed.

Johnson can next be seen in “Jumanji: The Next Level,” which will be in theaters Dec. 13, and his “Red Notice” and “The King” in pre-production. He’ll also be seen in Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” next year, which is also directed by Collet-Serra.

For the record: A previous version of this article said that production would begin in July, but an individual close to the project has told TheWrap production will now begin in June.