James Gunn is one of those select few directors in Hollywood who are known for helming back-to-back blockbuster live-action adaptations of comic book characters. Over the last few years, he’s written and directed The Suicide Squad as well as Peacemaker and then went straight to work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Now it seems DC Entertainment has added another credit to his name: director of the upcoming Black Adam.
The news confused Gunn, who like most people thought that Jaume Collet-Serra was in the director’s chair. In his reaction on Twitter, he acknowledged that he directs a lot of comic book films but this is going a bit far:
After many delays, Black Adam will finally hit theaters in October and is making some big promises about the scale of its action. Dwayne Johnson appears extremely hyped about entering the comic book movie world as one of the most interesting and powerful characters in the DC universe, with the story also bringing in members of the Golden Age Justice Society of America.
The one wrinkle that’s appeared is Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab criticizing Black Adam for not casting any Egyptians in a movie clearly inspired by Egyptian mythology. Diab said “representation opportunities shouldn’t be wasted,” something he appears to live by given the Egyptian talent in Moon Knight‘s cast and crew.
Whatever the case, the footage we’ve seen so far from Black Adam indicates an intense and slightly terrifying superhero adventure showing what happens when a demigod awakes with a serious chip on his shoulder. Let’s hope Black Adam delivers the goods when it lands on October 21, 2022.