Dwayne Johnson Already Has Ideas For Black Adam Spinoffs

Dwayne Johnson reveals he already has ideas for Black Adam spinoffs, as the anti-hero is set to join the DC Extended Universe this fall. After several years of being stuck in development limbo, Black Adam is closer than ever to finally hitting theaters, as it introduces the comic book icon to the larger DCEU. While Black Adam was going to be in Shazam!, the character's first live-action iteration will be taking a different route for his cinematic debut. For Johnson's incarnation, Black Adam is re-imagining the Shazam villain as an anti-hero.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the Black Adam movie is set to explore Teth-Adam's grim and tragic origin story as a Khandaq slave before getting the powers that turn him into the DC legend. While Black Adam is presented as a morally gray hero, Johnson's titular character will be taking on the villainous DC organization, Intergang, which has large ties to Darkseid and Apokolips in the comics. However, the film will also see the cinematic arrival of the Justice Society of America, the DC team that pre-dates the Justice League. As Black Adam has gone through a long journey from development to principal photography, Johnson's movie has been hyped to change the course of the DCEU for several years.

While there have been talks previously about possible Black Adam spinoff projects, Johnson has now elaborated more on those plans. In a new interview with Total Film (via Games Radar), Johnson confirmed that the creative team know which characters they are looking at doing offshoots with after Black Adam, as the film strives to "expand the universe." Without revealing exactly which players they are looking at, Johnson stressed that he has a few ideas of which Black Adam characters audience members will respond well to in the film, sharing the following:

“The goal is to really expand the universe, and introduce new characters, and spin-off, and be really strategic about the plan. We have a few ideas of what characters people are really going to respond to in Black Adam, and so we’re already thinking ahead to: ’Let’s start thinking about that movie, and what that movie looks like for them.’"

The idea of doing spinoffs based on DCEU properties has increased over the last few years. Following The Suicide Squad, James Gunn created a Peacemaker spinoff series on HBO Max, with John Cena reprising his role as Christopher Smith from the film. Not only was Peacemaker season 2 get green-lit, but Gunn is developing two additional spinoff projects, including one for Viola Davis' Amanda Waller. Even though HBO Max will be merged as a new service with Discovery Plus next summer, Warner Bros. Discovery is still in the business of using its streaming service for future DC content. With Johnson already discussing a Black Adam spinoff as a movie, it sounds like it might be a theatrical product, though that remains to be seen.

Whether the plan is theatrical spinoff films or HBO Max shows, the obvious group of characters from Black Adam likely to be explored more is the Justice Society of America. The DCEU's JSA will consist of iconic members like Aldis Hodge as Hawkman and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, while also giving a major spotlight to heroes like Cyclone and Atom Smasher, played by Quintessa Swindell and Noah Centineo, respectively. Indeed, it would be surprising if the Black Adam spinoff isn't something based on the JSA. Stargirl has already shown that there is interest in the JSA, and while The CW drama explores the new generation of the team, the DCEU iteration can focus on the original one. Until Black Adam hits theaters, only time will tell what will become of these spinoff plans.