DC Doesn't Know How Black Adam Connects To The DCEU Yet
Warner Bros. and DC are still figuring out how Black Adam will connect to the rest of the DC Extended Universe. Dwayne Johnson originally joined DC to play Black Adam as the villain in Shazam!, but he was not included in the 2019 film. While the movie did include some set up for Black Adam, it won't be until his solo film that Johnson's debut as the anti-hero happens. For now, Black Adam is scheduled to hit the big screen at the end of 2021.
Production on Black Adam might not begin for a while due to coronavirus-related delays, but that hasn't stopped details on the movie from surfacing. The film will see the Justice Society of America join the DCEU alongside Black Adam, with Atom Smasher, Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and Cyclone confirmed as members of the team. It has yet to be revealed how (or if) Black Adam will connect to Shazam! or help set up the sequel Shazam: Fury of the Gods, but apparently those details are still being worked out.
In a recent interview with Variety, Johnson's longtime producing partner and Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia discussed how the film will connect to DC's shared universe. Garcia and Johnson were producers on Shazam!, so Black Adam won't exactly be their first time working on a DCEU project, and likely won't be the last either. He confirmed that Black Adam and Shazam exist in the same universe, but teased that they're still discussing how to connect the upcoming film to other DCEU projects and characters.
We’re working closely with DC in terms of what the plan is for how everyone fits together. It’s still in the works, but obviously Shazam exists in the Black Adam universe. I can just say that we have very big ambitions for Black Adam and all of the characters that we’re introducing. How they’re going to connect with other characters is still all being laid out, but I think fans are going to be happy, ultimately, with the way we end up guiding it.
After trying to replicate the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, WB and DC are moving away from making sure all of their films are closely tied together. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Shazam!, and Birds of Prey were all successful standalone stories that didn't require too much knowledge about other DCEU films to enjoy. It should be expected that Black Adam will take a similar approach and focus on telling a self-contained story. This can still allow for some connections to be made but might stop Wonder Woman, Superman, or other major heroes from appearing right away. That said, the Black Adam presentation at DC FanDome included The Wizard from Shazam!, so perhaps he'll return for the movie as one of its DCEU ties.
The future for Black Adam and the JSA could be filled with other major DCEU connections as well. Johnson could appear in Shazam: Fury of the Gods potentially and most expect Black Adam to get a sequel at some point. The star has not been shy about voicing his interest in fighting Henry Cavill's Superman or the entire Justice League team either, so a crossover of that kind of magnitude could come one day. Additionally, since the JSA characters also have their own stories and DC connections, many of them could return in future movies or even get a Justice Society movie of their own. All of this will be dependent on how Black Adam performs, but the franchise potential should make DC more confident in connecting it to their other properties early on.
Source: Variety