Rumors from anonymous Reddit users should be treated like a vow of friendship from WWE superstar Kevin Owens; with extreme skepticism. Over the last few days there have been a flurry of leaks about DC Films projects, including one that says six Batman-related movies are coming out in 2019. Doubtful, but one never knows. Anyway, a new rumor has emerged that puts one DC project on the shelf while another would see a significant boost in star power.
The rumor goes that Shazam, which has Dwayne Johnson set to play antihero Black Adam, has essentially been cancelled. Apparently Warner Bros. wasn't feeling the script and decided to go in a different direction by having Black Adam be the Man of Steel 2 villain. Okay, now you might recall Cavill and Johnson teasing something big late last year, and the speculation was very similar. So it may not be that far out of the question. Shazam currently has Lights Out director David F. Sandberg attached to direct, but he may have to break into the DC Universe in a different way.
Here is what the source, who says they don't want to "jeopardize their position" by revealing who they are, had to say about this story...
“"Firstly, Black Adam will be the main villain in Man of Steel 2. The idea was tossed around of possibly making an appearance in the sequel, even if it was only brief. This later evolved into Adam becoming the villain due to the fact WB did not feel confident in the early drafts of the Shazam script and felt as if Dwayne Johnson deserved a bigger project (may be linked to how much they're paying him). Second, Matthew Vaughn is still talking to Warner about directing the film, however Warner are talking to other directors as well, which may be an attempt to increase pressure on Vaughn's agent."
All of this makes sense, and I would add that Shazam never seemed like a good choice for the DCEU, anyway. The Billy Batson character comes across as too hokey compared to the heavier approach they've chosen to run with. The source does say that Batson is "likely" to appear in a movie at some point, but it's unclear which one. Maybe a JSA movie somewhere down the line?
What studio would pass up a chance to have an entire movie of Cavill vs. The Rock? Nobody with a lick of sense, that's who. So I can see all of this happening. That said, it almost sounds too...correct. Too perfect. Things rarely work out that way in Hollywood, especially at when it comes to the DCEU. So take this with a grain of salt and let's see where it goes.
