How Does Shazam Tie Into Black Adam?

Black Adam greatly expands the scope of the DC Extended Universe, bringing in the Justice Society as well as Dwayne Johnson's dark demigod. Even characters from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker show up, proving that James Gunn's time in the DC Universe is only beginning. And while the majority of the films' Easter eggs are connected to the history of Adam and the Justice Society, there's another DC hero who plays a major part in the story. That hero? None other than Billy Batson/Shazam (Asher Angel/Zachary Levi).

The strongest tie that connects Billy and Adam is the source of their powers. Adam gains his powers from a council of wizards who empower him with abilities from the Egyptian pantheon of gods. Whenever Adam speaks the word "Shazam!" he is granted godlike powers including superhuman strength and durability, flight, and the ability to generate lightning. But there's a twist to how Adam gained his powers. He was not chosen as the champion of Khandaq; rather, that honor went to his son Harut (Jalon Christian). Harut chose to give his power to Adam to save his life, and was killed shortly afterwards. This led Adam to wreak his unholy vengeance against the king who had oppressed his people and took his son from him. However, his rage ended up nearly leveling Khandaq, and the same wizards who gave him his powers imprisoned him within the ruins of the king's castle. In the present day, Adam is freed when Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) speaks the word "Shazam" unlocking his prison. And once again, Adam finds himself battling against powerful foes when the Justice Society arrives to ensure his "peaceful surrender". By contrast, Billy accidentally stumbles upon the Rock of Eternity in Shazam! - the mystical fortress where the wizards convened when escaping a pair of bullies. There he meets the last living wizard (Djimon Honsou) who attempts to discover if he's worthy of becoming a new champion. While discussing the origins of the power, the Wizard says that he and his fellow magicians made a mistake in choosing the champion once hence his test of worthiness. It's more than likely he was referring to Adam at the time. Like Adam, Billy also gains incredible powers when he shouts "Shazam!" Said powers are derived from deities in Greek mythology (except for the biblical king Solomon, whose wisdom Billy gains.) Billy also shares his power with his foster family in order to defeat the madman Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong). Much like Adam's bond with his son, Billy shares a close connection with his family - both in terms of magical power and the bonds of love. Johnson also bears a strong connection to Shazam!, having served as an executive producer on the film. He was also attached to star as either Black Adam or Shazam before Black Adam was put into development. Though Johnson has expressed his desire for Superman and Black Adam to collide in future films, all the signs are pointing toward a Black Adam/Shazam showdown. The two have had a long and fierce rivalry in DC Comics canon, and the similarities in origins and powers could make for an interesting conflict.

DC Comics Reveals The Joker's Real Name Jack Oswald White

Since debuting in the DC Universe, the true identity of the Joker has been a mystery for all comic book fans. Although many fans have theorized and several mediums have introduced names like Jack Napier and Arthur Fleck, DC Comics has never officially given the character a real name, until now.

In Issue #5 of Flashpoint Beyond, a sequel to Flashpoint, the universe’s version of the Joker, Martha Wayne, and the Batman of the universe, Thomas Wayne, are seen discusing the villain’s true identity. Martha reveals that she forced Psycho-Pirate, a villain with extensive knowledge of the entire DC Universe, to tell her the name of the Joker in the main DC Universe. It is then revealed that the Joker’s real name is “Jack Oswald White.” Martha then shares that she visited the Flashpoint universe’s version of Jack Oswald White, discovering him to be a struggling family man supporting his wife and a child as a janitor at Wayne Casino. Despite being destitute, Jack is well adjusted, being never subjected to the origin events that occurred in Batman: The Killing Joke that created the Joker. It is also interesting to note that musician Jack White served as the inspiration for the character’s name. White took to Instagram to share his appreciation in a post directed towards DC Comics.

Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom Plot And Release Date

Ahead of the release of DC's Black Adam Deadline has announced another release date shakeup at Warner Brothers has pushed the release date for the Aquaman sequel, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom to Christmas 2023. The film had previously been set for March 17, 2023, after having been pushed back from December 21, 2022. Shazam: Fury of The Gods is now set to take the March release date after having earlier been set to arrive on Aquaman 2's initial December 2022 date. Almost every studio has experienced delays, especially for VFX-heavy projects like sci-fi and superhero films. Franchise villain Patrick Wilson spoke about Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom’s never-before-seen VFX techniques in an interview with Collider in February.

 

The first film saw Jason Momoa take up the mantle of the titular hero as Arthur Curry as he learned of his true lineage as the king of Atlantis. His ascent to the throne was a troubled one as he had to fend off both an ill-intentioned half-brother who saw the throne as his own and a highly skilled pirate turned supervillain seeking revenge for his father's death. Aquaman also recently appeared at the end of the Season 1 finale of James Gunn’s Peacemaker series along with the other members of the Justice League. With Black Adam introducing the Justice Society an alternate version of the Justice League it remains to be seen how the upcoming films will play off each other. In the comics, Black Adam and Shazam!'s Billy Baston are known enemies, so we could see the Justice Society and the Justice League going head-to-head in the future of the DCEU. In addition to Momoa and Wilson, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom stars Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, and Dolph Lundgren. Horror master and Aquaman director James Wan is back to helm the sequel from a script penned by David Leslie Johnson McGoldrick. The duo worked on last year’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, along with franchise stars Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Filming wrapped on Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom back in January, but with the new release date, there's no word yet on when we'll see a trailer for the upcoming sequel. The costumes from Aquaman 2 were recently featured at licensing con; you can get a detailed look at Aquaman and Black Manta’s looks in the upcoming film. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom is now set to hit theaters on December 25, 2023.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods Release Date

DC Comics and Warner Brothers’ 2022 film slate was completely destroyed today and while it will definitely leave a lot of DC fans depressed, Shazam is here to save the day as it is the only film that has moved up its release date. The highly anticipated sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods will now premiere on December 12, 2022, rather than its previous June 2023 date. That is a whole six-month jump and, while we still do not know much about the sequel so far, this should at least give fans confidence that WB has something really special on their hands with this Shazam family film. “We’re thrilled to bring ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ to audiences as a Christmas gift this year,” WB President of domestic distribution Jeff Goldstein said about the new release date and continued on saying, “Families of all ages will really enjoy it.” When talking with our own Steven Weintraub late last year, Shazam himself Zachary Levi praised the upcoming sequel and actually wanted the film to come out sooner saying:

"I will say that I genuinely and this is not just lip service I'm really proud of the first one, I think we made a really, really good movie. I think the second one is better. I think that we had more time, we had more budget. We had, essentially, the entire cast returning, and we all knew our characters a little bit more; we could kind of sit into them a little bit more. Henry Gayden, who wrote the first script, wrote the second, and he did a fantastic job doing so. Everything just clicked even a little bit more and a little bit more. And also the kids have grown up a little bit more, so even the sensibilities of them become even slightly more mature which brings it closer to my or other people's adult minds, so there's even more connection there, I think. The action's great, the comedy's great, the relationships are great. The bad guys, Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, are fantastic. I'm very proud of it. I want it to come out sooner than June of 2023." Thankfully, Levi’s wish finally came true. Also, while every star in a sequel says it is better than the first, it is great to hear Levi talk so enthusiastically about the film. Especially given how good and fun the first film was when it was released in 2019. The short behind-the-scenes sizzle reel for the sequel that was released at last year’s DC FanDome teased a much bigger picture that hops between the real world and the Realm of the Gods. Besides Levi, Asher Angel is returning as Shazam’s human counterpart Billy Batson along with Jack Dylan Grazer as Billy’s best friend Freddy with his superhero counterpart played by Adam Goldberg. Djimon Honsou is also returning as the other Shazam who gave Billy his powers in the first film. The villains this time around are Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu as the daughters of Atlas, Hespera and Kalypso. Also, West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler is a new addition to the cast in an unknown role, but is suspected to be a love interest for Billy Batson in the film. Since we are now only nine months away from Shazam 2’s release, a new poster or trailer should be right around the corner. The December date worked like magic for Aquaman, and hopefully it will do the same for our favorite DC family when Shazam! Fury of the Gods releases in theaters on December 12, 2022.

Original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter Returns For DC's Wonder Woman 3

The original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter will be part of DC Universe's third installment of the film, Wonder Woman. Director Patty Jenkins teamed up with the TV's original Amazonian princess for the virtual event of DC FanDome 2021 and confirming that Carter will reprise her role as the warrior Asteria, her cameo in the film, Wonder Woman 1984. Actress Gal Gadot, who wasn't able to attend the virtual event, is super excited to start filming Wonder Woman 3. "Gal, who's so bummed not to be here, who's the busiest person in the world, with now three little kids and shooting, so she was so bummed not to be able to be here. But we are all three very excited about some exciting things coming up with Wonder Woman 3,” says Jenkin to PEOPLE.

The 70-year old Carter, who starred as in the Wonder Woman TV series from 1976 to 1979, explained her personal commitment to the franchise. "I know what it was like from the inside out. I know what the legacy meant to me, and when I created the character, it wasn't on the comic book page her kindness and her goodness. Her strength was her Lasso of Truth ... and that meant something to me. "Who would have thought in my life at this time in my life that this gift would just present itself to me, and that's so cool. And that's what I'm hoping for all of the fans of Wonder Woman ... to know that your life is full of surprises, and the Wonder Woman in you is alive and well." Just days after Wonder Woman 1984 was released on Christmas Day, Warner Bros. announced that development on the third film was being fast-tracked. "As fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of Wonder Woman 1984, we are excited to be able to continue her story with our real life Wonder Women Gal and Patty who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy," says Warner Bros. chief Toby Emmerich. Wonder Woman 1984 which also stars Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen was originally set to debut in theaters in summer 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic forced Warner Bros. to delay its release. Ahead of WW84's premiere, Jenkins revealed on Good Morning America that she has an ongoing text chain with Gadot and Carter. "Lynda is one of the first people I contacted when I started doing these movies, and she and I have become super good friends. "In the last few years we've started a group text that we're all three on, literally we all talked probably four times yesterday. So we text each other all the time, we talk about what's going on, we talk about the movie release. "We have a very shared spirit which is so awesome to share, and such an honor to share with her." Before her cameo appearance in Wonder Woman 1984, Lynda Carter was last seen in the films Super Trooper 2, Sky High, and The Dukes of Hazzard.

Joker Sequel Reportedly Still in Development

A sequel to Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix‘s Joker is reportedly still in the works. Although the film’s release date and other details were not revealed, MangaSpurs stated that almost all of DC’s forthcoming films and TV shows “will take place in the same universe.” The report specified The Flash movie with Ezra Miller, the HBO Max spinoff Gotham PD and “Joker and its planned sequel,” also noting that the projects not included is Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson‘s The Batman and the upcoming Superman reboot.

Rumors of a Joker sequel have gone quiet since the release of the film in 2019, and although neither Phillips nor Phoenix officially confirmed their involvement in the possible project, the director stated in early 2020 that he was willing to sign on alongside the actor. “When a movie does $1 billion and cost $60 million to make, of course it comes up,” he laughed. “But Joaquin and I haven’t really decided on it. We’re open. I mean, I’d love to work with him on anything, quite frankly. So who knows? But it would have to have a real thematic resonance the way this one did, ultimately being about childhood trauma and the lack of love, and the loss of empathy. All those things are really what made this movie work for us, so we’d have to have something that had an equal thematic resonance.” In related news, Warner Bros. and DC are reportedly “committed” to hiring a Black director for its Black Superman film.

Justice League 2: Release Date & Everything You Need to Know

Justice League is an American superhero film based on DC Comics superheroes. Zac Snyder directed the film and written by Joss Whedon and Chris Terro. This film is an extended part of 2016’s Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. In the Justice League film, the story revolves around DC superheroes. After Superman’s death, Wonder Woman and Batman recruit Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash to join their team. As a team, they save the world from catastrophic threats of Steppenwolf and army of Parademons.

Justice League 2 is all set to launch in June in 2019. But it gets delayed because of solo films of the main characters of the film. Such as Wonder Woman 2 and The Flash released in 2020. Also due to the coronavirus pandemic, it postponed to next year. Now it is anticipated to release in April 2021.

Well, there is no confirmation about the cast and crew of Justice League 2. Also, there will be some new edition to the cast for the movie. But the cast may include Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Gal Gadot as Wonder-Woman, and Ben Affleck as Batman. Also Henry Cavill as Superman, Jason Mamoa as Aquaman and Ezra Miller joining the film’s cast.

But there is a rumour that Ben Affleck may replace in the upcoming film. Also, Cavill said he would like to play the role of Superman again, but there is no confirmation.

In this film, we will see Darkside as the main antagonist of the plot. In Justice League, we saw Lex Luthor escape from Arkham Asylum. And he planned to build a company of his own. This might be the plot for the Justice League 2. Later he and Deathstroke may be teamed up to challenge the Justice League.

The trailer for the film isn’t unveiled yet. And it’s hard to see when it will release. But we hope this long-awaited film to fulfill all the expectations of DC fans.