Dwayne Johnson Slams Upcoming DC Movie For Not Being Worth His Time?
An unconfirmed report claims Dwayne Johnson refused to be in Shazam! Fury of the Gods because he only wanted to "play in the big leagues."
If a new unconfirmed report is true, then Dwayne Johnson was insulting and dismissive when presented with the opportunity to appear in next year’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Online leaker Neb claims that when asked by Warner Bros to make a cameo as Black Adam in the sequel, Johnson responded, “I’m only here to play in the big leagues.” If true, it will make for some cruel irony, considering Black Adam‘s underperformance at the box office and, in contrast, 2019’s Shazam!‘s status as one of the bigger successes of the Snyder-era DC movies.
Neb names Deadline as his source, though presumably, he means someone from Deadline because there’s no corroborating article on the outlet’s site. Still, this wouldn’t be the first time we’ve heard of Dwayne Johnson dissing the Shazam franchise. Last month — after the announcement that James Gunn and Shazam! producer Peter Safran had been made co-heads of DC Studios — reports surfaced of The Rock’s “thinly veiled disdain for Shazam.”
While we can’t confirm either of these reports, at the very least we know that Dwayne Johnson fought against the idea of Black Adam debuting in Shazam! During the promotional lead-up to Black Adam, Johnson went on record saying that introducing Teth Adam in Shazam! would do “an incredible disservice” to his character.
“It would’ve been fine for Shazam having two origin stories converge in one movie, but not good for Black Adam,” Dwayne Johnson said of the notion of introducing his anti-hero in Shazam!
Overall, things are not looking particularly great in terms of The Rock’s continued involvement with the DCU. Along with the unconfirmed reports about Dwayne Johnson throwing shade at Shazam, there are likewise stories surfacing that Gunn and Safran aren’t happy with the Jungle Cruise star hyping fans’ expectations for Henry Cavill’s return as Superman; a return we now know is not happening. Should The Rock be invited back for another DCU project, it may just be to voice Krypto again for DC League of Super-Pets 2.
While apparently Dwayne Johnson won’t be there to make an appearance, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is scheduled to hit theaters March 17, 2023. Zachary Levi returns as the titular superhero. Along with most of the cast of the first film returning, Levi will be joined by Helen Mirren, Rachel Zegler, and Lucy Liu as the daughters of Atlas.
Again, we can’t say whether or not Neb’s report about Dwayne Johnson dissing Shazam! Fury of the Gods like that is true. But if it is true, then we want to offer a suggestion to the star of the film, Zachary Levi. Mr. Levi: next big celebrity event that both you and Johnson attend, make sure to sneak up behind The Rock and whisper “Shazam!
Then, of course, you should run like hell.
