Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has done some pretty amazing things on the big screen on his way to becoming the biggest action movie star in Hollywood, but the “Black Adam” trailer makes it look like he’s about to take things to the next level this October.
The first official trailer for the film based on the DC Comics character dropped today, giving fans a peak at what they can expect in the fall. Along with the tiniest hint at the title character’s origins, it features a number of action shots of Johnson’s Black Adam, one of which involves him catching a rocket with his bare hands.
Check out the full trailer below.
Another interesting part of the trailer comes when Hawkman (played by Aldis Hodge) tells Black Adam that heroes don’t kill people. His reponse: “Well I do.”
That’s an effective way to set expectations among the general public who may expect that The Rock is playing a superhero based on his leading man status and the fact that the film is titled after his character. But while Black Adam has occasionally fought alongside DC Comics heroes in print when their interests aligned, he is at best an anti-hero and most often written as an outright villain. He’s certainly not above taking lives, often in violent ways.
Despite that, Johnson has said repeatedly he felt he was born for this particular role, and it’s hard to argue against the idea that he belongs in a comic book movie. It’s honestly surprising that Marvel or DC didn’t cast him in one sooner than this, but better late than never.
“Black Adam,” which also stars Hodge, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz, Quintessa Swindell as Maxine Hunkel / Cyclone, and Pierce Brosnan as Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate, is set to hit theaters on Oct. 2021.