It's no secret that the villains of the DC universe of films have been a little underwhelming so far. That will hopefully change when Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson flexes his biceps (and eyebrows) as the super-villain Black Adam. DC announced a film on Black Adam few years ago, and shooting for it slated to commence early next year. The movie is set for release on December 22, 2021. Building on the excitement, The Rock has duly dropped an Instagram post of him prepping for the role. Which primarily involves, at this point, pumping iron.
The former pro-wrestler went on Instagram on Sunday and shared the image of him looking ripped and ready. He captioned the post to say, "Training for BLACK ADAM. The hierarchy of power in the DC UNIVERSE is about to change."
The Fast and Furious star is training with Dave Rienzi, fitness consultant to the stars. The Rock's post said, "Shout to my long time strength and conditioning coach @daverienzi for the ever-evolving, strategic road map to success for this film and character. Month by month, week by week, day by day." Rienzi is the founder of Rienzi Strength and also trains the likes of Henry Cavill.
Black Adam is a hotly-anticipated addition to the DC Universe cannon, and the character was initially slated to be introduced in Shazam! (2019). However, it was decided to introduce the popular DC villain in a dedicated film that looks at the character's backstory. In the comics, one of the defining traits of Black Adam is his role as the arch-nemesis of Shazam and his family. Recently, Black Adam has been a driving force in several DC story arcs, including The New 52, DC Rebirth and the Justice Society of America.
Going by the Insta post, The Rock seems determined to look the part. He further captioned the image, "277 lbs of mean and nasty. #blackadam #dcuniverse Production kicks-off spring 2021."
Shazam! starring Zachary Levy, has been one of the best-reviewed and highest grossing films from the DC Universe yet. The 2019 movie grossed $365 million worldwide last year. DC has indicated that the paths of Shazam and Black Adam are definitely going to cross in a future film.
With inputs from ANI.
