But that will all change on October 21st when ‘Black Adam’ which stars Dwayne Johnson and was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (‘Jungle Cruise’) hits theaters. The new movie brilliantly adapts the source material without ever watering down the brutality of the character and absolutely elevates the DCEU in the process.
In the new movie, Johnson plays Teth-Adam, a slave from the ancient city of Kahndaq who is given powers by the Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou reprising his role from ‘Shazam!’) transforming him into the anti-hero Black Adam. But after saving his people he is imprisoned for five thousand years and is finally released in present day by university professor and Kahndaq resistance fighter Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi).
Black Adam soon attracts the attention of U.S. Government Agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), who dispatches the Justice Society of America to take Black Adam down before he becomes a threat. But once Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) arrive in Kahndaq, Adam does not take well to their warning.
But when the leader of a terrorist organization known as Intergang seizes control of the ancient demon Sabbac, Adrianna must convince Black Adam and the Justice Society to put their differences aside and fight together as a team to save the world.
It was only a matter of time before Dwayne Johnson starred in a live-action super hero movie, and I’m sure he has been offered other super hero roles to play over the years. In fact, rumor is he was given the choice between playing Shazam or Black Adam and chose the latter. That always seemed like an odd choice to me as Black Adam is Shazam’s archenemy in the comics, and Johnson is such a huge star and likable person, you’d think he’d want to play the hero?
My biggest fear was that because Johnson was cast in the role, Black Adam would be made into a more heroic character, like we’ve seen with the ‘Venom’ movies. However, as DC Comics fans know, there was a brief arc in the late 90s and early 2000s where Black Adam did become a hero and joined the Justice Society. Even very recently in the comics, he had become good again and joined the ranks of the Justice League, so at least the idea of making him an anti-hero is not too far off from the source material.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra skillfully pulls off the balancing act of having Black Adam be both the hero and villain at the same time. Adam’s origin story unfolds mysteriously throughout the film in flashbacks allowing the audience to learn about him as the other characters do. He is depicted as violent and brutal, but he also believes in justice and is willing to do anything to protect those that he loves, just like in the comics.
While Johnson plays the character more of a misguided hero than the true villain he is in the comics, the actor gives one of his best performances and is truly the only actor alive that could have pulled off this role physically. Just one look at him and you know he is a real threat for the Justice Society.
Johnson’s performance reminded me of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s work in ‘The Terminator’ and ‘T2.’ Say what you will about Arnold’s acting abilities, but he was born to play that robot, and did so much with very little movement. Johnson does the same thing, communicating his emotions with very little movement or dialogue.
The movie also reinforces the idea that the DCEU is still alive and well. While it’s no longer the dark “Snyderverse” that director Zach Snyder created with his trilogy (‘Man of Steel,’ ‘Batman v Superman,’ ‘Justice League’), those characters and events still exist. One of the early criticisms I’ve heard about the movie is that Collet-Serra tries too hard to recreate Snyder’s signature slow-motion fight scenes, and I actually didn’t see it that way.
Yes, Collet-Serra does use slow-motion quite a bit, but I would compare it more to the use of slow-motion in the Quicksilver scenes from ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past.’ The slow-motion is not used for arbitrary reasons, but rather to highlight how fast Black Adam is moving, Dr. Fate’s magic, or how powerful Cyclone’s tornados are. I liked the use of slow-motion and thought it added to the action rather than distracting. Kudos to the editing team of John Lee and Michael L. Sale, who make all the action sequences pop.
The Justice Society is a great added attraction for DC fans but having them work for Amanda Waller felt a bit off. We last saw her own team stage a rebellion against her in ‘The Suicide Squad’ and it doesn’t make a lot of sense that the JSA is now taking orders from her, but it doesn’t really affect the plot, although sending Task Force-X, especially after the events of ‘Peacemaker,’ would have made more sense.
Aldis Hodge is very strong as Hawkman and brings the stubbornness of the character from the comics. Pierce Brosnan was also a wonderful casting choice and has the right level of likability and gravitas for the role. Quintessa Swindell is a nice addition as Cyclone, but much of her backstory seemed cut from the film and unfortunately, she did not have a lot to do. The same could be said for Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, who is probably the weakest link in the cast, and isn’t given enough screen time to make an impact.
Rounding out the cast is also a very good performance from Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz, who is the only person that can truly get through to Black Adam. The actress has very good chemistry with Johnson, and perhaps will be back in sequels as her comic book super hero alter-ego, Isis.
I will say that there is a mid-credit scene that you will not want to miss which welcomes back a former DCEU actor and character. I don’t want to give it away, even though Johnson basically has while promoting the movie, but I will say that it promises an epic fight in the future of the franchise that is very exciting for DC fans.
At the end of the day, ‘Black Adam’ pulls it off and delivers what it promised, a no-holds-barred approach to the popular DC character. While tweaking with the tone at times, the movie does stay true to the source material, and features a commanding star-turn from Dwayne Johnson. Watch out Marvel … DC is back!
The new movies stars Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam, an anti-hero from the ancient city of Kahndaq who awakens in present day after five thousand years of imprisonment.
He soon draws the attention of the Justice Society of America including Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) and Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan) and must team-up with them in order to stop a threat more powerful than Adam himself.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Dwayne Johnson in-person to talk about his work on ‘Black Adam,’ why fans should be excited for the movie, and why Black Adam was the right super hero for him to play.
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo, Quintessa Swindell, Sarah Shahi, Mohammed Amer.
Moviefone: To begin with, what would you say to your fans and DC Comics fans to get them pumped-up and ready to see this movie?
Dwayne Johnson: Oh, get ready because we are going to deliver something I think that you are already anticipating. I think right now they are hearing rumblings that the movie is pretty good.
They’re hearing rumblings about some other things that might be happening in the movie. They’re hearing rumblings about maybe somebody is joining us in this movie. They’re hearing a lot of rumblings.
So, I would say get your popcorn, get to the theater, the biggest, most immersive theater you can, but also know this because we as actors, we sell our movies. Get to the movies, you got to see it on the biggest screen.
I put all I had into this movie, and this has been a 10 plus year push, fight and journey to get it to this place where we could take something that I love, and I love the DC universe. I like Marvel and all those guys are my buddies.
But I love DC and this opportunity that we have to expand the DC Universe, introduce five new beloved superheroes, or four and one anti-hero, it’s just a great opportunity. So, I hope that fans, when going to their theater, I hope they feel the passion and the fight that went into this in ‘Black Adam.’
MF: Finally, I know it took a long time for you to get this movie made, and I’m sure you have been offered other super heroes to play over the years. Why was Black Adam the right character for you to portray on screen?
DJ: Because he represented so many characteristics that I have. Now, what I mean by that because that’s a tough one for me to say, is just that I have reached a point in my life right now as I sit and talk to you where I’m confident in who I am.
No one can tell me, “Hey, you can’t be like that. You have to walk like this, talk like this. Don’t call yourself “The Rock.” You can’t talk about pro wrestling. You’re too big, go lose weight.” All this stuff that I heard when I first got to Hollywood.
So, I’m at a point now in my life where I feel so confident about my steps, and I feel so present with everyone I talk to, like you and anyone. And Black Adam is that way. He’s lived a life. He is confident. He steps with purpose and with passion, deep passion.
Also, he does have great empathy and he does care about people who he loves, like I do. Now, if you mess with him, that’s a problem. You mess with me, that’s a problem. I’ll handle it. I might smile a little bit before I handle it, but it’s a difference.
Dwayne Johnson stars as Black Adam in New Line Cinema’s action adventure ‘Black Adam.’
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With movie releases in a relatively quiet period following the end of summer, many are looking to Dwayne Johnson and ‘Black Adam’ for the next big shot of moviegoing business.
The Rock is headed back to our screens with his first DC movie, which will see him playing the titular vengeful anti-hero whose approach to justice butts heads with the more straightforward likes of Superman.
And, as with all things Dwayne Johnson, expect something on a big scale, as the new trailer suggests.
Created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, the character is one of the archenemies of Shazam (as played in his own movies by Zachary Levi) and the nemesis of the Shazam Family. Black Adam first appeared as a one-time villain for the first issue of Fawcett Comics’ ‘The Marvel Family’ comic book December 1945 (a reminder here that Shazam was once known as Captain Marvel, before Marvel had Carol Danvers out there).
Black Adam was revived as a recurring character after DC Comics first licensed and then acquired the Fawcett characters and began publishing Shazam Family stories under the title ‘Shazam!’ in the 1970s.
While Johnson was at one point going to play the character as a direct villain to Levi’s Shazam, that plan evolved to give him his own movie (not a bad idea when you have someone with the Rock’s audience appeal). And in keeping with how he’s evolved in the comics, the tone shifted more towards him being an antihero rather than a straight up bad guy.
Jaume Collet-Serra, who worked with Johnson on ‘Jungle Cruise’, is in the director’s chair here, while the script has seen drafts from Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani.
In the movie’s story, Johnson’s Teth Adam rose from being a slave, dying, being reborn a god and meting out his particular, powerful brand of justice in the society of Kahndaq 5,000 years ago. It didn’t end so well for him, after he’s betrayed and imprisoned.
But he returns to dispense some no-nonsense justice in the present day, something that will bring him into conflict with more straightforward heroes, including, in the film the Justice Society of America, including Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo). And yes, that’s Viola Davis popping up as Amanda Waller.
This latest look at the movie is full of action and shows Johnson going for a grittier, more serious performance than his usual charm-filled work of late.
And yes, the JSA are certainly concerned about Adam’s power and behavior, looking to lock down the near godlike warrior. And they’ve plenty of tools to try to make that happen (including a jet taking off from an underground facility beneath a mansion that ‘X-Men’ fans will find very familiar, but does come from the JSA comics.
After a couple of release date shifts, ‘Black Adam’ is ready to rock into theaters on October 21st.
If you have Dwayne Johnson in your film, you bring Dwayne Johnson.
At a Comic-Con that has seen several talent dial in via video link because of filming duties or Covid concerns, the artist formerly known as The Rock was not going to miss the chance to make a big entrance at Hall H of the San Diego Comic-Con.
“I missed you guys so dang much, I can’t even tell you,” said Levi to an energized Hall H, taking in the first panel of the day, after a ‘Shazam!’ sizzle reel showed.
The superhero sequel continues the story of Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who, when he says the phrase “Shazam!” transforms into a grown superhero (Levi) with Superman-like powers.
At the end of the first film, Billy’s foster family also gained powers, and since then, the family has been working on fighting crime – though not always together.
They’ll need to unite, though, when a new menace in the shape of the Sisters of Atlas (Helen Mirren’s Hespera and Lucy Liu’s Kalypso) arrive on Earth none too happy that some “children” have the powers of the gods. Fight! Fight! Fight!
“We got this really cool look into all of the kids getting their super powers at the end of the first movie… We’ve all been flying around doing various missions trying to help the city of Philadelphia and the world at large,” Levi explains. “We’re all just trying to figure it out.”
“It adds for a really great interesting bedrock of reality that you can connect to as a human being because we’re super heroes but we’re human beings,” Levi added.
With Levi, director David F. Sandberg, Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Lucy Liu on stage, there’s also time for a video message from Helen Mirren (who plays one of the big villains) and Rachel Zegler.
Mirren was in typically fun form, jokingly explaining that the reason she isn’t there in person was because of a fight she got into when she attended as a fan in 2019 and someone cut the line. Well, not a fight… “he went down instantly!” Dame Helen, never change.
And that wasn’t all. “I absolutely loved playing Hespera,” she said. “She’s such a baddie and a bad ass. And, Zach, I had such a lovely time kicking the shit out of you!…Yay, pussy power!”
The panel continued with a mixture of fan questions and the usual dodges about cameos or the future. But asked if there will be a third movie? “Okay, fine, we’ll do another one,” Levi said. “If you guys go and see this one and you like it then there’s a good chance the bosses will want it.”
Finally, what about a crossover with ‘Black Adam’, whose title character in the books has a deep connection to Shazam? They’re not saying. ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ lands in theaters on December 21st.
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Talking of the superhero – or super-anti-hero, as he’s a powerful figure who fights for justice his way – played by Dwayne Johnson, he was next up.
And it being Johnson, he couldn’t just walk on stage. Instead, fog and lightning (the latter on screen) filled Hall H, and Johnson arrived flying, in costume.
“The DC Universe will never be the same again,” he intoned.
He was gone just as quickly, before the cast and director filed on stage. ‘Black Adam’ comes from ‘Jungle Cruise’s Jaume Collet-Serra and will feature a team new to the DC films, The Justice Society of America. That includes Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) and Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan).
Johnson was soon back on stage, dressed this time in more regular attire, and talking up his journey with the movie.
“The journey for Black Adam, it has been a long journey, fueled with passion, with commitment, with grit, Johnson said. “It’s been easily over 10 years. I’ve been working with Jaume for about five years now and so that’s when he came on board for this. The journey has been an incredible one. I love coming to Comic-Con. To be here in Hall H, representing a DC anti-hero is a dream come true. The dream, having been in the business for years now, I’d bring movies here and hope you guys would like them but this is a dream come true.”
Johnson and co. introduced a sizzle reel (which did not go online, though a new sneak peek can be seen below). The con reel revealed one heretofore unknown wrinkle: ‘Suicide Squad’s Amanda Waller – in the shape of Viola Davis – appears in the movie.
The director finished work on the movie the night before the panel, and the cast has seen it. Of course, they seemed happy with it.
And there were some panel-standard answers, such as Hodge admitting he thought it was a prank when Johnson called to tell him he got the part. There was even time for a joke about Kevin Hart because what Dwayne Johnson appearance is complete without that?
One final stunt? Everyone in Hall H got an IMAX cinema ticket to see ‘Black Adam’.
If there was a disappointment to be found in the panel, it’s that Warner Bros. and DC didn’t bring any other movies. No ‘Aquaman’ sequel, no ‘Flash’ (though given the issues the studio has been having with star Ezra Miller, perhaps that’s not really a surprise).
Even with the huge scale of this panel (and the obvious impact of the Rock), it’s hard not to think that Marvel might be along to top it later in the day.
‘Black Adam’ will fly into theaters on October 21st.
‘Black Adam’ marks that rare superhero movie where the person playing the role is more famous than the character. Sure, we’ve had the likes of Robert Downey Jr., who was probably better known than Tony Stark when he starred in ‘Iron Man’, but Dwayne Johnson is undoubtedly a mega movie star, while to the average person Black Adam is unlikely to generate all that much recognition.
Your usual history lesson, then: created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, the character is one of the archenemies of Shazam (as played in his own movies by Zachary Levi) and the nemesis of the Shazam Family. Black Adam first appeared as a one-time villain for the first issue of Fawcett Comics’ ‘The Marvel Family’ comic book December 1945 (a reminder here that Shazam was once known as Captain Marvel, before Marvel had Carol Danvers out there).
Black Adam was revived as a recurring character after DC Comics first licensed and then acquired the Fawcett characters and began publishing Shazam Family stories under the title ‘Shazam!’ in the 1970s.
While Johnson was at one point going to play the character as a direct villain to Levi’s Shazam, that plan evolved to give him his own movie (not a bad idea when you have someone with the Rock’s audience appeal). And in keeping with how he’s evolved in the comics, the tone shifted more towards him being an antihero rather than a straight up bad guy.
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In the movie’s story, Johnson’s Teth Adam rose from being a slave, dying, being reborn a god and meting out his particular, powerful brand of justice in the society of Kahndaq 5,000 years ago. It didn’t end so well for him, after he’s betrayed and imprisoned.
But he returns to dispense some no-nonsense justice in the present day, something that will bring him into conflict with more straightforward heroes, including, in the film the Justice Society Of America, including Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo).
As shown in the trailer, Adam essentially has a choice – with his immense powers, he can choose to save the world… or he can destroy it. We’re fairly confident we know what he’ll end up doing, but it might be a close run thing. As one moment in the trailer has it, Hodge’s Hawkman tells him, “heroes don’t kill people.” “Well, I do,” comes the reply.
Tone-wise, the trailer switches between action blockbuster, portentous dialogue from The Rock about his past and some moments of comedy, such as flinging someone out into the ocean. And, of course, there are the “hero” shots – though to bring it back to ‘Iron Man’, there might be some who think that tackling a plane and catching a missile remind them of that movie.
The movie was written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani, and directed by Jaume-Collet Serra, reuniting with Johnson after they collaborated on Disney’s ‘Jungle Cruise’.
‘Black Adam’ will fly into theaters on October 21st.
‘The Batman’ director Matt Reeves at CinemaCon 2022. Photos: Eric Chardonneau.
In news that should surprise exactly no one, Warner Bros. kicked off its CinemaCon presentation this year with the announcement that a sequel to ‘The Batman’ is in the works.
The first movie’s co-writer/director Matt Reeves took the stage at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to thank exhibitors for their support and to reveal that star Robert Pattinson will be back for a second round of cowl action and that Reeves will be back behind the camera.
Reeves, who co-wrote and directed ‘The Batman’ is returning to pull similar double duty for the sequel. He offered no details on what the story might entail, nor a potential release date, only hinting that more news would come “in a future CinemaCon”.
‘The Batman’ was all but guaranteed a sequel – it’s one of Warners’ marquee properties and launched to a massive $134 million on its first weekend of release domestically. That still ranks as the biggest opening weekend of 2022, as well as only the second pandemic-era movie to cross the $100 million mark in a single weekend following ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’ With $759 million to date at the global box office, ‘The Batman’ is currently the highest grossing movie of the year.
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And Warner Bros. has shown huge faith in the world of the movie, even though it is disconnected from the sprawling DC Extended Universe. More than one HBO Max spin-off is in development based on characters from the film, including a series about Colin Farrell’s Penguin, AKA Oz Cobblepot.
A Batman of a different sort – and universe – was the focus of an early, unfinished trailer for ‘The Flash’, which finds Ezra Miller’s speedster endangering the multiverse to help his family. We’ve known for a while that Michael Keaton is playing Bruce Wayne in the movie, and he shows up in the footage, quoting one of his most famous lines from 1989’s ‘Batman’ – “You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts.” ‘The Flash’ should be in theaters on June 23rd, 2023.
In other news, the studio offered the first look at Margot Robbie as the title character in ‘Barbie’. The movie based on the iconic doll range has been shooting in London for a while now, with Greta Gerwig directing.
No concrete details have been revealed for what the movie might include, though there has been chatter that it sees Barbie ejected from her world for not being perfect enough.
From the looks of this, though, the trademark pink of Barbie’s world is present and correct. ‘Barbie’ will be in theaters on July 21st, 2023.
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That’s a change for WB, as ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’, in which the beleaguered cartoon character sues the company who makes his misfiring weapons, had been sitting on that date. The movie, which features John Cena, Will Forte and Lana Condor, is currently in production and doesn’t now have a release date.
Austin Butler from ‘Elvis’ at CinemaCon 2022. Photos By Eric Charbonneau.
Showing up in person to show off their latest wares was Baz Luhrmann, who has ‘Elvis’ headed our way this summer. Luhrmann brought some new footage from the movie, which stars Austin Butler as the iconic rock ‘n’ roller and Tom Hanks as his controversial manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
Ever the consummate showman, Luhrmann had the crowd laughing with his presentation style. “You know, I haven’t actually finished it,” he confessed to the assembled theater owners. “If it feels a little like a superhero film, it is. Elvis is kind of the original superhero. He rises so high, then finds his kryptonite and falls so low and then a beautiful, powerful tragedy ensues. Man can’t live by Batman alone; we need to bring all audiences in the theater!” (He also praised Matt Reeves and ‘The Batman’, so this was only comedy shade).
Luhrmann also joked about Hanks, and how he was “new” to the whole acting thing. “He’s a bit nervy and stuff, I had to coach him a lot to get him out of his shell,” the director quipped. Then he got serious: “I have worked with everyone, all sorts of icons and my god, Tom Hanks — the Rolls Royce of actors.”
‘Elvis’ rocks into theaters on June 24.
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Music was also the focus of the presentation about ‘Wonka’, the ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ prequel that stars Timothée Chalamet as the candy man. ‘Paddington’ director Paul King is handling this one, a tune-filled story of Wonka facing down the authorities to bring his love of chocolate to the world. The footage played to enthusiastic audiences, but there will be a wait for this one – it isn’t scheduled for release until December 15th, 2023.
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‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ director James Wan at CinemaCon 2022. Photos by Eric Charbonneau.
James Wan was on hand to promote two movies – firstly, ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’. Following a video greeting from Jason Momoa (currently at work in London on, we presume ‘Fast X’), Wan showed up with a quick blast of footage and praise for the advancing special effects that let him create complicated characters without “torturing” his actors on wires.
The superhero sequel, which sees the return of Momoa, Amber Heard and Patrick Wilson, among others, will swim into theaters on March 17 next year.
‘Lot’s story follows Ben Mears, a writer who spent part of his childhood in Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, also known as Salem’s Lot, has returned after twenty-five years to write a book about the long-abandoned Marsten House, where he had a bad experience as a child. He soon discovers that an ancient evil has also come to town and is turning the residents into vampires. He vows to stop the plague of undead and save the town.
‘Salem’s Lot’ will arrive on September 9th this year.
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(L to R) Asher Angel, Helen Mirren, Jack Dylan Grazer and Zachary Levi from ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ at CinemaCon 2022. Photos by Eric Charbonneau.
Zachary Levi and some of the cast of ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ (including the living legend that is Helen Mirren) turned up to talk up their own superhero sequel, with Mirren admitting that she enjoyed joining the “most wonderful crazy family” and that she wasn’t sure how much she could say about the movie.
The clip shown from the film included some typically meta references to the DC universe (including a dream about ‘Wonder Woman‘) and Mirren, alongside fellow villain Lucy Liu, doing their thing.
‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ has bounced around the release schedule but will finally see theaters on December 16th – which slightly worryingly is the same day that the much-anticipated ‘Avatar 2’ is set to land.
Wilde had the trailer to show and enthused about her stars. “You are seeing the birth of a full-fledged movie star,” she said in regard to Pugh, and called Styles “a revelation.” She then joked, “I am also in the movie because I was the only one we could afford when we go that that point.”
‘Don’t Worry Darling’ is due in theaters on September 23rd.
Rounding things off was one of WB’s biggest stars, who had two movies to show off. Dwayne Johnson, ever the charismatic superstar, kicked off his presentation with a fake-out that he was stuck in Hawaii and appearing via video.
Instead, he was in the room, walking through the crowd to applause and talking up both the animated family adventure ‘DC League of Super Pets’.
The cartoon movie, which sees Superman’s faithful hound Krypto (voiced by Johnson) teaming up with other animals to save his master and the Justice League when they’re kidnapped. It soars into theaters on July 29th.
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But most of Johnson’s attention was reserved for his own superhero outing, ‘Black Adam’, which puts a character more known in ‘Shazam’ comics as a villain front and center in a story that focuses on his antihero side.
Yet as the footage showed, the vengeful, righteous character – a slave from an ancient world who is revived and gifted mighty powers in the modern day.
Responding to a character who says, “heroes don’t kill people,” Johnson’s character declares, “Well I do.”
‘Black Adam’s Dwayne Johnson at CinemaCon 2022. Photos by Eric Charbonneau.
‘Black Adam’ will arrive in theaters on October 21st.
It’s all change for Warner Bros. and DC today, as some of the companies’ highest-profile movies are upping sticks and moving around the release date calendar – mostly to further in the future.
Warners partly puts the shifts down to covid delays affecting production and post-production on some of these giant movies, though there is also the sneaking suspicion that this is a way to get a few out of the way of Marvel or, in the case of the ‘Aquaman’ sequel, ‘Avatar 2’, especially given James Cameron’s history with the box office and the watery elements of his long-awaited sci-fi sequel, which is due in theaters on December 16th. (‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ was originally slated for that date).
Word of the changes – to ‘Super-Pets’ and ‘Black Adam’ at least – came first from Dwayne Johnson, who hit Instagram to deliver a typically positive message about his two next releases shifting back. Mostly, he seemed pumped about ‘Black Adam’s chances to play through Halloween and other holidays without (he didn’t say it, it’s implied), ‘The Flash’ to run up against.
‘Black Adam, meanwhile, stars Johnson as the usually villainous character from the ‘Shazam!’ world. From the looks of everything about the movie so far, though, it appears it’ll channel the anti-hero version that has more recently been in DC Comics.
The movie also features Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo, Aldis Hodge, Quintessa Swindell, Sarah Shahi and Marwan Kenzari, and will now hit theaters on October 21.
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‘The Flash’, starring Ezra Miller as the speedy hero pushing his powers to the limit in order to save his parents from death and jail, is dashing from its original November 4 slot to June 23, 2023. The movie will also see Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman for the first time since 1992’s ‘Batman Returns.’
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‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’, the Jason Momoa-starring sequel directed once more by James Wan, dives from a December 16 slot to March 17, 2023.
One movie actually shifting forward rather than back is superhero sequel ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’. Zachary Levi returns as the titular hero, with Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu as the villains. That is stepping into the December 16 slot this year vacated by the Aquaman sequel.
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And finally, one WB movies lands its release date, as ‘Meg 2: The Trench’, directed by Ben Wheatley, is now swimming in on August 4 next year.
That movie sees Jason Statham back as diver and captain Jonas Taylor, who must once more confront a giant shark looking to destroy property and eat unwitting swimmers.
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Proof positive, then, that in this day and age it’s better to write your movie reminders in pencil rather than pen.
(L to R) Dwayne Johnson as Krypto and John Krasinski as Superman in Warner Bros.’ ‘DC League of Super-Pets.’
Alien siblings Zan and Jayna, unlike many of their comics stablemates, made their debut on TV in Hanna Barbera animated series ‘The All-New Super Friends Hour’ in 1977. Created by Norman Maurer, they went on to appear on other series before making their debut in comic books based on the show and became part of the wider DC Universe.
They’re best known for their catchphrase, “Wonder Twins power, activate!” and touching hands, leading Jayne to transform into any animal and Zan into any form of water. Which might not seem like the greatest combo when you are extraterrestrial crime fighters, but they made it work. And let’s not forget – steam can give you a nasty burn.
Oh, and did we mention they have a monkey pal called Gleek? Yes, they have a monkey pal. Called Gleek! Whether he makes the transition to the new movie is anyone’s guess, but we’re guessing Wonder Twins fans will want to see that happen.
It did not stop, however, many other shows and comedians having a great deal of fun at their expense, and they’ve rarely been given major attention, popping up on the likes of cartoon series ‘Teen Titans Go!’ and live-action show ‘The Flash’.
Now, though, Sztykiel is the person who will look to bring them up to date even further and make them work on their own. But as is usual for a film like this, the plot is being kept locked behind a shield of secrecy.
Sztykiel, who started as an actor but has switched to writing, has scripted movies including ‘Due Date’, ‘Rampage’ and 2020’s animated adventure ‘Scoob’. ‘Black Adam’, starring Dwayne Johnson as the titular antihero, will be in theaters on July 29th. He created the TV series ‘Undateable’, which ran for three seasons.
This latest movie will be produced by Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill, which was behind the ‘Twilight’ and ‘The Maze Runner’ franchises, among several others.
HBO Max is fast becoming an alternate outlet for DC movies – the ‘Batgirl’ movie starring ‘In the Heights’ Leslie Grace is headed directly there, while ‘Blue Beetle’, featuring ‘Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña is switching from the service to a theatrical release, but will end up there after that.
While the Super Bowl, traditionally a place where movie studios look to hype their new releases with teasing trailers and TV spots, is just around the corner, Warner Bros. and DC got a head start by releasing a combo video featuring their upcoming slate of superhero movies.
‘Black Adam’, which stars Dwayne Johnson as the titular hero was perhaps the most intriguing, because this is the largest amount of footage we’ve seen to date.
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Included in that were first looks at Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate and Aldis Hodge as Hawkman (both in full costume), plus a small moment between Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone and Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, though those two were in more civilian clothing until a couple of small closing shots.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, (who worked with The Rock on last year’s ‘Jungle Cruise’), ‘Black Adam’ is the story of Johnson’s character Teth Adam, who was bestowed with the powers of the Egyptian gods nearly 5,000 years ago — and imprisoned just as quickly. He’s freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world. Traditionally, he shares similar powers with Shazam (played in his own film by Zachary Levi) and has been a villain for that hero. More recently, though, he’s evolved into more of an antihero, and that appears to be the conflicted character Johnson’s bringing to life.
Dr. Fate (who is best described as a sort of DC Doctor Strange, albeit introduced 20 years before the Marvel magician) and the others, meanwhile, are part of the Justice Society (which pre-dates the League, fact fans) and will likely both clash with and work together with Adam, since their attitudes to the word “justice” differ from his punch-first-ask-questions-maybe style.
There’s also a small mention of Black Adams’ son “saving” him and given the presence of Uli Latukefu, who plays one of the young Rocks in, er, ‘Young Rock’, allow us to slap on the hat of wild speculation and say he’s either playing a young Adam or his child.
Next up, we have ‘The Flash’, which finally gives Ezra Miller’s big-screen Scarlet Speedster his solo outing (even if he does have to share it with Michael Keaton’s Batman, Ben Affleck’s Batman, and some alternate versions of himself).
The story for the movie, which has ‘It’s Andy Muschietti directing, is that Barry Allen tries to use his powers to save his mother, who died when he was young, and his father, who was framed for the killing and ended up in jail. But Barry’s attempts end up causing fractures in the multiverse, which explains the appearance of Keaton and more.
The latter only shows up via voice-over in the clips, asking Barry why, if he can go to any timeline or universe, why he’s fighting to save this one? You’ve got to wonder why Bruce Wayne, of anyone, would question trying to save someone’s parents.
And while the TV version of ‘The Flash’ has explored the famous comic book storyline known as ‘Flashpoint’, the new movie looks to be going all-in on the idea; between this and the likes of Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ alternate realities are big this year.
‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’, meanwhile, returns Jason Momoa to screens as Arthur Curry, wrangling with his status as ruler of Atlantis. The sequel to the hit 2018 movie is once again directed by James Wan and while the storyline is mostly a mystery, we do know it’ll see Momoa’s hero teaming up with an unlikely alley (possibly Patrick Wilson’s Ocean Master, the villain of the original) to face a big new threat. Because, let’s face it, ‘Aquaman and the Lost Goldfish’ just wouldn’t have the same impact.
Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman all return from the first movie. Little was revealed about this new adventure (unlike the others, there wasn’t as much footage, which likely points to it having finished shooting later and having fewer shots finished) but there’s plenty of time as it doesn’t swim into theaters until December 16.
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And though ‘The Batman’ got first position because it’ll be out in less than a month (March 4, to be exact), it’s less exciting simply because we’ve seen almost everything presented here in previous trailers.
Still, the movie, directed by Matt Reeves, stars Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, and John Turturro, is looking very good – dark, gritty (well, it is cinematic Batman, after all) and stylish. Skipping the usual origin story (as far as we know), Reeves’ movie is instead a detective story about Bruce Wayne’s relatively early days as the Caped Crusader, investigating a dangerous new enemy in Dano’s The Riddler, who is himself digging into all of Gotham City’s secrets – including those of the Wayne family.
Perhaps most remarkable about this is that final, bold “Only In Theaters” tag, which almost sounds like it should come with a smaller, “Sorry to the makers of last year’s movies about the whole day-and-date HBO Max thing. Our bad!” But it’s certainly a statement of intent, a setting out of DC’s stall that it still means to compete with Disney and Marvel.
2021 has come and gone and with every new year comes a whole new slate of movies to look forward to. This year will be no different with five films based on characters from Marvel Comics, four movies based on characters from DC Comics, long awaited sequels, animated spinoffs, and a video game adaption, not to mention new installments from popular franchises like Mission: Impossible, Jurassic World, and Fantastic Beasts.
Without any further ado, let’s take a look at the most anticipated movies of 2022!
Uncharted – Opens February 18, 2022
Columbia Pictures
Based on the popular video game series of the same name, the film stars Tom Holland (‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’) as young fortune hunter Nathan “Nate” Drake. Mark Wahlberg (‘Transformers: The Last Knight’) plays Nate’s mentor, Victor “Sully” Sullivan, while Antonio Banderas (‘Pain and Glory’) plays the movie’s antagonist. Directed by Ruben Fleischer (“Venom’), the movie will act as an origin story to the game, featuring Drake and Sullivan meeting for the first time and going on a dangerous adventure together to find hidden treasure, while also picking up clues to Nathan’s long-lost brother’s whereabouts.
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The Batman – Opens March 4, 2022
Warner Bros. Pictures
Directed by Matt Reeves (‘War for the Planet of the Apes’), ‘The Batman’ takes place during Bruce Wayne’s second year as Gotham’s costumed vigilante and features Robert Pattinson (‘Tenet) as the title character. The movie will see Batman battle his classic rogue’s gallery including the Riddler played by Paul Dano (‘There Will Be Blood’), the Penguin played by Colin Farrell (‘Dumbo’), and Catwoman played by Zoe Kravitz (‘Mad Max: Fury Road’). Helping Bruce Wayne clean up the streets of Gotham will be GCPD officer James Gordon played by James Wright (‘The French Dispatch’), and Wayne’s trusty butler, Alfred Pennyworth portrayed by Andy Serkis (‘Black Panther’).
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The Lost City – Opens March 25, 2022
Paramount
Directed by Aaron and Adam Nee (‘Band of Robbers’), ‘The Lost City’ is one of the few movies on this list that is not based on a preexisting property. The film stars Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock (‘Gravity’) as a reclusive romance novelist on a book tour with her cover model (Channing Tatum) that get caught up in a kidnapping attempt, which lands them both in the middle of a dangerous jungle adventure. The cast also includes Daniel Radcliffe (‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) as the movie’s villain, and Oscar-winner Brad Pitt in cameo role.
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Morbius – Opens April 1, 2022
Columbia Pictures
Directed by Daniel Espinosa (‘Safe House’), and based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, it’s still unknown which corner of the Marvel multiverse ‘Morbius’ will take place in. While the trailer has clues to both Tobey Maguire’s ‘Spider-Man’ franchise and Andrew Garfield’s ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ series, Michael Keaton’s scheduled appearance as villain Adrian Toomes/Vulture indicates that the film may be set in the MCU. Regardless, the movie stars Oscar-winner Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius, a scientist suffering from a rare blood disease who attempts to develop a dangerous cure that afflicts him with vampirism. In addition to Leto and Keaton, the cast also includes Tyrese Gibson, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, and Jared Harris.
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Opens May 6, 2022
Marvel Studios
Directed by Sam Raimi (‘Spider-Man’) and following the events of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ ‘WandaVision’ and the first season of ‘Loki’ is the sequel to ‘Doctor Strange,’ entitled ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Benedict Cumberbatch reprises his role as the title character, whose use of a forbidden spell has opened the doors to the multiverse. When an alternate version of Strange threatens to destroy humanity, the MCU’s Strange must team with Wong (Benedict Wong) and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) to stop the threat. In addition to Cumberbatch, Wong and Olsen, the movie also stars Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Loki, and Xochitl Gomez as popular Marvel Comics character America Chavez.
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DC League of Super-Pets – Opens May 20, 2022
Warner Bros. Pictures
Marking the first of two movies scheduled for release in 2022 starring Dwayne Johnson as a DC character, the animated film ‘DC League of Super-Pets’ will feature the actor formally known as The Rock as the voice of Superman’s dog, Krypto. The movie will also see Johnson reteam with his ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ co-star, Kevin Hart as Ace the Bat-Hound. Directed by Jared Stern (‘The Lego Batman Movie’), the movie centers on Krypto, who teams with a group of shelter pets with special powers to save Superman and the Justice League from Lex Luthor. In addition to Johnson and Hart, the movie will also star John Krasinski as the voice of Superman, Marc Maron as the voice of Lex Luthor, and Keanu Reeves, Kate McKinnon, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz and Jameela Jamil in undisclosed roles.
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Top Gun: Maverick – Opens May 27, 2022
Paramount
After several delays due to the pandemic, the long awaited sequel to ’Top Gun,’ which was the movie that made Tom Cruise a household name, is set to finally open on May 27th and is entitled ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ Set thirty years after the events of the original film, the new movie sees Cruise’s Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell return to train a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission. The trouble begins when Maverick discovers that one of his new students is Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late best friend Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), and that Rooster still blames Maverick for his father’s death. In addition to Cruise and Teller, the movie also features Val Kilmer reprising his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, as well as new cast members Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Glen Powell, Danny Ramirez, and Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly.
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Jurassic World Dominion – Opens June 10, 2022
Universal Pictures
The third film in the Jurassic Park sequel series, ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ will once again star Chris Pratt as Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing, as well as original series stars Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm, Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant, and Oscar-winner Laura Dern as Dr. Ellie Sattler. The new movie is set four years after the events of ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ where genetically engineered dinosaurs were auctioned off around the world, while others were released in the United States. The movie will explore how humanity handles no longer being on top of the food chain. Also reprising their roles from previous movies are Justice Smith as Franklin Webb, Omar Sy as Barry Sembene, and BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu, while Campbell Scott is set to play Dr. Lewis Dodgson, a role previously played by Cameron Thor in ‘Jurassic Park.’
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Lightyear – Opens June 17, 2022
Walt Disney Pictures
Directed by Angus MacLane and written by Pete Doctor (‘Up’), ‘Lightyear’ is the upcoming Pixar animated movie set in the world of ‘Toy Story.’ The film will examine the fictional origin story of the “real” Buzz Lighyear, the character that inspired the popular toy. Chris Evans (Captain America: Civil War’) stars as the voice of Buzz Lightyear, and Taika Waititi (‘Free Guy’) will also voice an undisclosed character in the film.
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Minions: The Rise of Gru – Opens July 1, 2022
Universal Pictures
Directed by Kyle Balda (‘Despicable Me 3’), ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ is the fifth animated film in the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise, and a sequel to the 2015 spinoff, ‘Minions.’ Set in the early 1970s, the movie centers on a 12-year-old Gru (Steve Carell), who desperately wants to join a team of evil villains called the Vicious 6. When the group fires their leader Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin), Gru interviews for the job but is denied. With the help of his Minions, Kevin Stuart, Bob and Otto (all voiced by Pierre Coffin), Gru steals a precious stone from the Vicious 6 and must team with Wild Knuckles in order to defeat his former team. In addition to Carell, Coffin, and Arkin, the voice cast also includes Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, Julie Andrews, and Russell Brand as Dr. Neforio.
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Thor: Love and Thunder – Opens July 8, 2022
Once again directed by Taika Waititi, ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is the forth film in the franchise following Waititi’s ‘Thor: Ragnarok.’ Set after the events of ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ little is known about the upcoming film other than Natalie Portman returning as Jane Foster and becoming Mighty Thor. We also know that the Guardians of the Galaxy will also appear, and that the main villain will be Gorr the God Butcher, played by Christian Bale. Reprising their MCU roles in the new movie are Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Jamie Alexander as Sif, Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Sean Gunn as Kraglin Obfonteri, and Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot. Waititi is also set to reprise his role as Korg, while Oscar-winner Russell Crowe will cameo as Zeus, and Matt Damon, Sam Neill, Luke Hemsworth, and Melissa McCarthy will play Asgardian actors
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Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – Opens July 15, 2022
The third movie in the ‘Harry Potter’ spinoff series, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,’ is set to star Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne reprising his role as Newt Scamander. Set in the 1930s, the story will focus on the Wizarding World’s involvement leading up to World War II, and the ensuing battle with Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen). With Grindelwald’s power growing rapidly, Aldus Dumbledore (Jude Law) enlists Newt and his friends to embark on a dangerous mission to stop Grindelwald and his army before it becomes too late, while Dumbledore debates just how long he can stay neutral before he has to choose a side. Directed by David Yates (‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’), in addition to Redmayne, Law, and Mikkelsen, the movie also stars Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Callum Turner, and Katherine Waterson.
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Black Adam – Opens July 29, 2022
‘Black Adam’ is set to be the second movie released in 2022 to star Dwayne Johnson as a DC Comics character, with the popular actor taking on the title role. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (‘Jungle Cruise’), little is known about the plot of the film, other than that Johnson’s Black Adam will fight the Justice Society of America. Sarah Shahi is set to play Adam’s love interest, Adrianna Tomaz, while the JSA will be portrayed by Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate. In the comics, Black Adam is the archrival of Shazam, but there has been no official confirmation that Zachary Levi will appear.
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Mission: Impossible 7 – Opens September 30, 2022
The second Tom Cruise movie set for release in 2022, it’s likely that ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ will get an official title before it premieres. The seventh film in the popular spy series, is once again written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. Little is known about the plot, other than that it will star Tom Cruise reprising his role as Ethan Hunt, along with his IMF team played by Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Vanessa Kirby. They will be joined by new cast members Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Rob Delaney, Indira Varma, Carey Elwes, and Esai Morales as the movie’s primary villain. Also returning for the first time since 1996’s original ‘Mission: Impossible’ is Henry Czerny reprising his role as former director of the IMF, Eugene Kittridge.
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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) – Opens October 7, 2022
A sequel to the Oscar-winning animated movie ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,’ ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)’ will once again star Shameik Moore as the voice of Miles Morales/Spider-Man. The movie will see Morales team with Gwen Stacey/Spider-Woman (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) and a new group of Spider-People to battle a powerful villain. In addition to Moore and Steinfeld, Jake Johnson and Oscar Isaac will also reprise their roles as Peter B. Parker and Spider-Man 2099, respectively, and Issa Rae will be joining the cast as Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman.
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The Flash – Opens November 4, 2022
One of the most anticipated movies of the year, not only will ‘The Flash’ mark the Scarlet Speedster’s first solo feature film, it will also mark the return of Oscar-nominated actor Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman, reprising his role from Tim Burton’s 1989 ‘Batman.’ Based loosely on “Flashpoint” published by DC Comics, the plot sees Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) using his powers to travel back in time and save his mother, which has many unexpected consequences. The movie will explore DC’s multiverse, and in addition to Miller and Keaton reprising their iconic roles, the film will also feature Ben Affleck returning as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Michael Shannon and Antje Traue reprising their ‘Man of Steel’ roles as General Zod and Faora, respectively, as well as introducing Sasha Calle as Supergirl.
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Opens November 11, 2022
Once again directed by Ryan Coogler, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is the highly awaited sequel to 2018’s Oscar nominated ‘Black Panther.’ Unfortunately, Chadwick Boseman who played the title role passed away unexpectedly in August of 2020, leaving the future of the popular MCU character up in the air. While Boseman’s character of T’Challa will not be recast, it is possible that the MCU will get a new Black Panther, and there are several characters that could take on the mantle. The obvious choice is Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, as she becomes the new Black Panther in the comics. But other possibilities include Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, Danai Gurira’s Okoye, or even Winston Duke’s M’Baku, all of which will be returning for the sequel. Another possibility is that Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger could return from his assumed death to claim the crown, but the actor’s participation in the project has yet to be announced. We do know that actress Dominique Thorne has been cast as Riri Williams, a young genius inventor who becomes Ironheart, the successor to Tony Stark’s Iron Man.
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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – Opens December 16, 2022
Following up the success of 2018’s ‘Aquaman,’ which earned over $1 billion at the box office, director James Wan returns for the sequel, ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.’ Jason Momoa will once again play the title character, with Amber Heard returning as Mera, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II reprising his role as Black Manta. Also reprising their roles from the first film are Patrick Wilson as Orm, Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin, and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman as Atlanna. Little is known about the plot at this time other than it will feature Aquaman as King of Atlantis, discovering a lost kingdom, and fighting Black Manta.
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Avatar 2 – Opens December 16, 2022
Releasing over ten years after ‘Avatar’ premiered and became the highest grossing movie of all time, Oscar winning director James Cameron returns with the long-awaited sequel, ‘Avatar 2.’ Set years after the original, the sequel follows Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully and Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri, who now have a family together, as they fight old threats forcing them to leave their home and explore the different areas of Pandora. In addition to Worthington and Saldana, CCH Pounder, Cliff Curtis, and Giovanni Ribisi will also reprise their roles form the original, with Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh, Jermaine Clement, Vin Diesel, and Cameron’s ‘Titanic’ star Kate Winslet also joining the cast. While Stephen Lang’s Colonel Miles Quaritch and Sigourney Weaver’s Dr. Grace Augustine both died in the original, both actors are expected to return, with Lang playing a “new version” of his character, and Weaver playing an entirely new role.
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While all release dates are subject to change, there is no doubt that the 2022 movie slate has something for everyone!
