By Zack Sharf
Variety
Dwayne Johnson “fought for years” to bring Henry Cavill’s Superman back to the big screen, the actor wrote on social media following Cavill’s announcement that he’s back as Superman in the DC Universe. Cavill’s Superman popped up opposite Johnson in the “Black Adam” credits scene.
“We fought for years to bring you back,” Johnson said about bringing Cavill’s Superman. “They always said no. But for [producers] Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia & myself ‘no’ was never an option. We can’t intelligently & strategically build out our DC Universe without the greatest superhero of all time. Because for us, the fans will always come first.”
Johnson continued, “As wild as it sounds, I learned that ‘fans first’ philosophy back when I wrestling in flea markets for $40 bucks a match well before the bright lights of WWE. Welcome home, Superman. I’ll see you down the road….”
Following “Black Adam’s” opening weekend, Cavill went public with his Superman return on Instagram, writing to fans, “I wanted to make it official: I am back as Superman… Thank you for your support and thank you for your patience. I promise it will be rewarded.”
“The character means so much to me,” Cavill said later on in an interview. “It’s been five years now. I never gave up hope. It’s amazing to be here now talking about it again. There is such a bright future ahead for the character. I’m so excited to tell a story with an enormously joyful Superman.”
Even before “Black Adam” opened in theaters, Johnson was touting a future movie in which his character would face off against Superman. Now it’s clear the DC Universe is heading in that direction, although producer Hiram Garcia recently told CinemaBlend that a Superman vs. Black Adam fight won’t be defined by just a “one-off” movie.
“It’s never been about a one-off or just about a fight,” said Garcia. “No, it’s about so much more than that. We really want to craft a long-form of storytelling and show that these two characters exist in the same universe and are going to have to deal with each other often, either on the same or opposite sides. Hopefully they’re going to clash at some point, but it’s not just about a ‘one fight’ situation. That was never our dream.”
Variety reported earlier this week that a standalone Cavill-Superman movie is in early development with producer Charles Roven. The film is currently soliciting pitches from writers.
“Black Adam” is now playing in theaters nationwide.
