The Rock says ... so long.
Dwayne Johnson has addressed his future with DC amid major changes for the comic book movie franchise. In a tweet, he confirmed his character of Black Adam will not be part of the "first chapter of storytelling" in the "new DC Universe," which is being spearheaded by James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Johnson just made his DC debut in October's Black Adam, a project that had been in the works for 15 years. The film was set in the DC Extended Universe, a shared universe of movies that began with 2013's Man of Steel.
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But shortly after Black Adam's release, Gunn and Safran were hired to oversee the DC franchise, and it sure seems like their plan is to wipe the slate clean and potentially get rid of everything that came before. After all, Gunn recently confirmed Henry Cavill won't return as Superman, even though Black Adam set him up to come back. A third Wonder Woman film starring Gal Gadot was also canceled.
In his statement, Johnson said his production company and DC "have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters," suggesting the door may be open for him to eventually return in a separate film universe.
Still, the statement overall read like Johnson was bidding farewell to the character after only having the chance to play him for one film. "You guys know me, and I have very thick skin," Johnson said, and in a reply, he seemed to acknowledge his effort to steer the future of DC with Black Adam was not a success.
"Gave it a shot," he said. "Win some, lose some."
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