We actually have some real news about upcoming films, and not just rumor site nonsense. That's a good thing! Rumor sites are terrible; if you don't hear from the studio or the actors/actresses involved, don't believe it! Remember, Lex Luthor was going to be played by Bryan Cranston or Denzel Washington, Marvel was de-emphasizing all the characters they don't have movie rights for, and the Fantastic Four was getting cancelled so that the entire cast and crew could be replaced. Right? Actually none of those things happened. Luthor is being played Jesse Eisenberg, Marvel just started a series for Storm and a new season of the Ultimate Spider Man, and the Fantastic Four movie has already finished filming. So the lesson is, never believe the hype. If you saw a story that said Wesley Snipes was coming back for Blade 4, and you believed it, you got taken. Hey, it happens. But anyhow, we have real news here so let's get to it.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson confirmed that he will indeed be playing Black Adam in an upcoming film. Black Adam is the primary adversary of Shazam; depending on the story he's been both a Magneto-type antihero and a full-on villain. Adam is a complex, three dimensional character so it was crucial to get someone with presence, which the Rock definitely has. Color me surprised here. I thought they would cast him as Shazam, just for business reasons (crossover to the Justice League films and sequels); I'm guessing that he won't end the film in a dust pile now. This does beg the question as to who they're going to cast for Shazam. It's going to need to be someone who can share a screen with the Rock and not get swallowed up; the last thing you want is for some lightweight in the role so the audience ends up cheering for the villain. I have no idea who would be a good choice for that. Vin Diesel isn't available so your guess is as good as mine.
Of course, the news couldn't come without the required DC-hating. The brigade of trolls who have decided that DC doesn't know what it's doing and all it's movies will suck, before any of them have even hit the screen, did not let up. The primary complaint I heard this time around was that they've set things in motion for Shazam but we still aren't getting a Wonder Woman movie yet. Please.......just stop it already. Although I have no contacts within DC Comics or Warner Bros, I can pretty much guarantee you that a Wonder Woman film is coming. Gal Gadot is signed for three movies; we know two of them already (Dawn of Justice and the Justice League film), so the third one should be pretty freaking obvious. Wonder Woman is one their Big Three and bigger than anyone in the Marvel Studios film universe. She's also never had her own film so you know they're going to capitalize on the demand. Unless Gadot proves to be so terrible onscreen that they have to just limit her time and burn off the three movies so they can cast someone else that movie is happening and it's coming soon. So calm down already.
You guys got to realize that the studios all have plans. You will get every movie that there is a demand for. Wonder Woman, Black Panther, and Black Widow are all going to get their turn on the big screen. Both Marvel and DC have dates mapped out several years in advance, it's just a matter of casting and film schedules. There is an arms race of sorts going on to line up the major talent out there now, so a lot of it comes down to who the studio can sign before the competition gets to them. A lot of people mentioned Jamie Alexander (Sif from the Thor films) as a good candidate for Wonder Woman, but she's signed to Marvel so that couldn't happen. I've heard Nathan Fillion (from Firefly and Castle) mentioned as a good choice for Hal Jordan, but he's a Joss Whedon guy so he's likely off limits to DC/Warner. Scarlett Johansson just gave birth, so a Black Widow movie for next year is out of the question no matter how much people may want one. That doesn't mean it isn't ever happening. Keep calm and carry on, everyone.
In other news, I'm going to Comic Con! In Baltimore, that is. This is a first for me, so I'll be taking pictures and everything.
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