Black Adam: Dwayne Johnson's Superhero Movie Will Have a 'Very High Kill Count'
Producer Hiram Garcia teases an 'edgy' superhero film.
byRyanleston
Dwayne Johnson superhero movie Black Adam is apparently going to push the boundaries when it comes to its PG-13 certificate, with a "very high kill count".
During an interview with CBR, producer Hiram Garcia explained how Black Adam has more in common with The Dark Knight than other DC movies:
"Black Adam is edgy, right?" he said. "That's gonna be a PG-13 movie where it was very much like, say, The Dark Knight, where that pushed the edges of PG-13. I think we do that very much with Black Adam. We have a very high kill count in our movie."
We recently got our first look at Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam movie in a teaser unveiled at DC FanDome 2021. As if to prove Garcia's point, that teaser includes a soldier being choked, turned to ash with lightning, and having his skull popped off.
Dwayne Johnson had been rumoured for the role of Black Adam for a number of years when the film was officially announced back in 2017. After spending years in development hell, the film finally got off the ground with the appointment of director Jaume Collet-Serra.
"Once we got Jaume on board to be our director, things really clicked in," said Garcia.
Since then, Black Adam has added a number of additional cast members, including Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz, Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, and Marwan Kenzari, James Cusati-Moyer and Bodhi Sabongui in unknown roles.
As well as suiting up in Black Adam, star Dwayne Johnson will take on another DC comic book role – voicing Krypto the Super-Dog in the upcoming League of Super-Pets movie. But don't expect a gritty style, here.
"Super Pets is a different tone, where it's just fun," said Garcia. "There's a lot of wish fulfilment. It's a lot of laughs. Ultimately, it's a really fun ride that gives you a perspective into the superhero world, especially when you're dealing with the Justice League, through the eyes of these pets, that are awesome."
"Ultimately, I think so much of the world can relate to the love, the connection someone has with their pet," he added. "We really are able to tap into that when you consider that Krypto is Superman's best friend, and really, Krypto is the only other person on this planet that is from Krypton, like Superman. So, there's a special bond that goes even deeper between the two that we really have fun playing with."
Originally meant to be part of DC's Shazam! before that film was split in two, Black Adam has since been confirmed to take on the Justice Society of America.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Developer: DC Entertainment
Publisher: Warner Bros. Pictures