Dwayne Johnson confirms DC film role

[Operation:Mego]

And it's for Black Adam.

https://celebrity.yahoo.com/news/dwayne-johnson-reveals-dc-comics-role-160106881.html

Johnson has said that Black Adam has always been one of his favorite character, adding that he's always been a fan of anti-heroes.

[TomStrong]

That's awesome! Wonder who will play Shazam? I have no idea who would be good. I would've though Johnson was a better fit for Batson but I like him so I'm willing to give him a chance.

[Mego Milk]

!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PNGwynne]

Hallelujah!

[Random Axe]

That's both good and bad. I figured Black Adam would be far easier to cast than Shazam and they had Johnson locked up for the big red cheese. So now everyone begins the speculation, and it'll get good. Here's my short list for what it's worth.

Channing Tatum - He can play the comedy part pretty well and has the build for a superhero. I just don't know if he has the presence.

Joe Manganiello - Yeah I dunno about this one. Sure he's tall, built and has black hair. I just haven't seen any of his acting skills to make a fully educated guess, just pure spitballing here.

John Cena - This would be genius in a couple of ways. He'd be cheap, he's friends with and has a great working relationship with Johnson based on theri WWE feud and he's already got the built-in kid audience. Of course the children didn't go see the Marine, but their idol as a superhero? Oh yeah, bank.

Brandon Routh - In a twist of fate or irony or whatever you call it, DC and WB does the right thing and brings him back. I'm sorry, but he was PERFECT to be this generation's Superman before Singer destroyed him. Now he can have a little bit of redemption and have a franchise all his own.


Yeah I know terrible ideas. So what have you guys got? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[hedrap]

This must be an old contract because he was attached to Adam several years ago, when he was vying for co-star roles.

He should have been Shazam. He personifies what a kid would envision a superhero to look like and the guy can ham it up. He'd be a great contrast to Cavill....

...except this movie is apparently going to exist outside the BvS/JLA DCU. And when I read that tonight, it confirmed for me how out to lunch WB is. They are just throwing crap out there to flood the market when that's the opposite of what audiences are after.

EDIT

Random - I thought Cena, also. He's going to co-star in two really big comedies next year, so he'll be a hot commodity at the right time for casting. I would not be shocked at all. And Tatum signed for a solo Gambit, so he's out.

I was hoping Rock would be Shazam so Batista could be. Black Adam. He's has always looked like Adam, especially a decade ago.

[madmarva]

New line must have someone in mind for the Captain Marvel role to have Rock play Black Adam. If they don't, they've made a huge mistake. Manganiello isn't a bad call physically. It's going to be interesting to see how Cap Marvel is written. It could be interesting if they go the "Big" route playing up the aspect of a child or teen pretending to be an adult, or if Marvel has a totally different personality than Billy. Casting a good Billy will be just as important as Cap Marvel.

[enyawd72]

This casting might work out great. Like Superman 1978, maybe the plan is to cast a big name as the villain and an unknown as the hero?

[Earth 2 Chris]

I'd still rather seen him as Shazam. Does Cena have the charisma that the Rock does? I actually have never seen much of his mic work. My biggest exposure to him was that animated Scooby Doo movie with the WWE that my daughter made me watch.

I can see the Hackman/Nicholson angle with this, but Superman and Batman were still known commodities when those movies debuted with unknown and lesser stars. Captain Marvel...or Shazam hasn't had much media exposure since the 70s.

Chris

[madmarva]

Casting the Rock who has been acting and improving as an actor for at least a decade is one thing, but just grabbing a rassler because he somewhat looks the part as the lead of multi-million-dollar film is something else.

Yeah, Bautista did a surprisingly fine job in Guardians in an extremely limited, supporting role, but that's a far cry from being the lead.

Again, it does matter if the Billy role is the dominant part as on the TV show or like David Banner on the Hilk TV show or if the Captain Marvel part is dominant or an equal to Billy. Finding the right actors to make the child/teen and the hero dynamic work is going to be tough, particularly if the part iswritten as a child/teen's innocence and inexperience in control of the body and powers of the world's mightiest mortal.

Done right, it could be wondrful, but pulling it off, to me, will be far trickier than Wonder Woman or superman or Batman or Aquaman.

[hedrap]

Mad - I was saying Batista looks identical to Black Adam, not Shazam. That would be a scary-arse Shazam.

Chris - Cena could do it. People are going to be surprised by how good he comes out in the Apatow and Fey comedies. His problem would be the opposite; he can't do a Nolan-level of seriousness and that's ironic to me, cause he looks like a Kirby drawing of Cap come to life but the character is too subdued. He's most comparable to Hemsworth, but he couldn't play Thor, Namor or any character that wasn't American in tone. And he looked perfect for Aquman, but again, too serious. So Shazam is perfect. He could also sell He-Man.

EDIT - Batsita from several years ago, when this project originally started.

[torgospizza]

Brandon Routh - In a twist of fate or irony or whatever you call it, DC and WB does the right thing and brings him back. I'm sorry, but he was PERFECT to be this generation's Superman before Singer destroyed him. Now he can have a little bit of redemption and have a franchise all his own.

I wish they'd used Routh for the reboot and Cavill for Shazam, honestly. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Routh's performance and he was about as close to Chris Reeve as possible. I kind of feel sorry for the guy, really--under different circumstances, he would be viewed very differently now.

[Random Axe]

^^^THis and more this. Cena is and will be a far better actor than anythone thinks. He's great at improv on the mic at shows, he's already locked into the children's demographic and their psyche and he absolutely looks the part. He's on the Fuity Pebbles box too. Just check out that childlike innocent smirk he sports on that. The only way this does work is the boy in a superhero body storyline. WWE would cross promote the hell out of this. Imagine Cena coming to ringside with a Shazam t-shirt. The character wouldn't have had that kind of exposure since 1978 on Saturday mornings.

[RobTMego]

My pick for Shazam would be Manu Bennett!!

[madmarva]

Hedrap, I got that you were talking about Batista for Black Adam, and it might have worked, but Johnson took the Black Adam part. The point I was trying to make is Batista was really good in Guardians, but it wasn't a lead role. Likewise, another wrestler might be great in a limited role, but not ready to be a lead.

Christopher Reeve was an unknown for films, but he wasn't a novice actor. He was classically trained at Juilliard, worked off broadway and in summer stock in plays for a number of years and had a role on a soap.

Again, I know the wrestlers have the look and even the charisma, but I still question the acting. Johnson is so much better on screen after working as an actor for several years than he was when he first started. Anyone see Scorpion King?

I honestly would have to google Cena to know who he is. That's my ignorance. I just don't keep up with wrestling anymore, but for him or any other actor to pull off Captain Marvel would be asking him to pull off a performance even more difficult, imo, than Tom Hanks' in Big.

Captain Marvel calls for a certain innocence, but also the wisdom of Solomon. That's a tough role to me.

I may be dead wrong, but it might be easier to take an actor and bulk him up like Cavil or lean him up like Pratt rather than casting the body and hoping he can act.

Brendan Fraiser or Jerry O'Connel might have been good for the role 5 or 10 years ago.

But, if they go with Cena more power to them. I hope he's great.

But I still think New Line or the WB was shortsighted casting Rock as Black Adam if they didn't already have a solid choice for Captain Marvel on the hook.

Oh, and I know the Rock is big at the box office right now, but it's a serious slap to Hackman and Nicholson to even mention him with them in terms of acting.