Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Has Been Dropped As Black Adam

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has released a statement in which he explains that he will no longer be playing Black Adam in the DCU, as James Gunn continues to shake things up following the recent departure of Henry Cavill. This comes shortly after the actor unfollowed both Warner Bros. and Black Adam on Instagram and reportedly turned down a cameo in Shazam 2.

In the statement, Johnson explains that after talking with James Gunn, he was told that the character of Black Adam will "not be in their first chapter of storytelling." He also claims that DC will continue working with the character to explore ways to potentially bring the character to "future DC multiverse chapters," although it's unlikely Johnson will return to play the character.

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"James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling," reads Johnson's statement. "However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters. James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed. It's no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and WIN BIG."

"You guys know me, and I have a very thick skin - and you can always count on me to be direct with my words. These decisions made by James and DC leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lense."

Johnson doesn't outright state that he's been dropped by DC, although the rest of his statement thanking fans for their support reads as though he won't be returning any time soon, if ever. This news isn't too surprising given that Henry Cavill was just dropped and that Black Adam didn't perform particularly well both critically and commercially, but it does support the theory that James Gunn is planning to shake up the DCU in a pretty major way.

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