David F. Sandberg has always been known for his strong social media game, whether he’s actively debunking rumors in hilarious fashion, or pulling out unique methods of drumming up buzz and awareness for his latest behind-the-camera effort. Based on his latest response to the never-ending churn of speculation, we’ve got the feeling that the Shazam! and Fury of the Gods director isn’t buying into the hype.
The buildup towards Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam has involved a lot of chatter surrounding a potential Henry Cavill cameo, thus setting up the Man in Black and the Man of Steel to throw down in a future sequel. Of course, Zachary Levi’s Shazam is the former’s arch-nemesis in the comic books, but it feels as though Billy Batson’s alter-ego has been cast aside in favor of focusing on Superman.
The latest slab of scuttlebutt to make the rounds has claimed that Johnson wants Warner Bros. and DC Films to mount an ambitious crossover that would pit Black Adam against the entire Justice League, but as you can see from Sandberg’s reaction, he isn’t entirely convinced that there’s much merit to the chatter.
James Gunn has been known to debunk a Grace Randolph rumor or two in his time, and while Sandberg is being a lot more diplomatic when it comes to pointing fingers, you get the distinct impression that the director of two DCEU blockbusters starring Black Adam’s number one rival would be at least kept in the loop were The Rock mounting ambitious plans for the future.
Levi wants to battle Teth-Adam in the future, and that’s where it should be heading based on decades’ worth of history on the printed page, so maybe we should pour cold water on this one for now until it heats up again.