New Line Cinema’s long-gestating DC solo film ‘Black Adam’ has another huge update from actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,’ ‘Ballers’), who plays the titular character. At long last, the release date is set for December 22, 2021.

Johnson made the announcement on his Instagram, with a new poster:

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The Man in Black ⚡️ Like most kids growing up, I dreamed about being a superhero. Having cool superpowers, fighting for what’s right and always protecting the people. It all changed for me, when I was 10yrs old and was first introduced to the greatest superhero of all time – SUPERMAN. As a kid, Superman was the hero I always wanted to be. But, a few years into my fantasy, I realized that Superman was the hero, I could never be. I was too rebellious. Too rambunctious. Too resistant to convention and authority. Despite my troubles, I was still a good kid with a good heart – I just liked to do things my way. Now, years later as a man, with the same DNA I had as a kid – my superhero dreams have come true. I’m honored to join the iconic #DCUniverse and it’s a true pleasure to become, BLACK ADAM. BLACK ADAM is blessed by magic with the powers equal to SUPERMAN, but the difference is he doesn’t toe the mark or walk the line. He’s a rebellious, one of a kind superhero, who’ll always do what’s right for the people – but he does it his way. Truth and justice – the BLACK ADAM way. This role is unlike any other I’ve ever played in my career and I’m grateful to the bone we’ll all go on this journey together. BLACK ADAM 12.22.21 ⚡️ Huge thank you to my friends, @jimlee and @bosslogic for this first time ever bad ass collaboration.

A post shared by therock (@therock) on Nov 14, 2019 at 9:06am PST

Moreover, Jaume Collet-Serra (‘The Shallows,’ ‘The Commuter’) will serve as director. From a Q&A with IMDb, Johnson said that Collet-Serra wants to “create the Dirty Harry of superheroes.”

The screenplay is from Adam Sztykiel (‘Due Date,’ ‘Rampage’). Characters that will appear include Stargirl and Atom Smasher, as well as Hawkman, who will face off against Black Adam in the film.

Additionally, back in March, we at The GWW heard the film will pull very heavily from Peter Tomasi and Doug Mahnke’s ‘Black Adam: The Dark Age’ comic. The graphic novel follows Teth-Adam as he seeks to restore his lost powers and resurrect his deceased wife. This journey brings him into conflict with the Justice Society of America, specifically Hawkman, the main villain of the movie.

Lastly, filming will begin July 2020.

The comic book film will be up against Sony Animation’s ‘Hotel Transylvania 4,’ and Universal’s ‘Wicked,’ as well as arrive five days after Disney/Fox’s ‘Avatar 2.’ At this time, suspiciously, Warner Bros.’ ‘Sherlock Holmes 3’ is also on this same date, which may suggest another shift for the threequel.

Source: Dwayne Johnson