Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson fought to keep the Black Adam and Shazam films separate | [site:name]

Dwayne Johnson, now 50, was 35 when he was first approached to play a DC Extended Universe (DCEU) hero.

Since he had been a fan of the antihero Black Adam from an early age, he was eager to portray the character as the opponent of Shazam, in a planned movie about the red-suited superhero.

Like Black Adam, Shazam had been a mortal given powers by a wizard. In several ways, they are mirror images of each other.

For years afterwards, Johnson turned down offers to play a superhero as his eyes were fixed on his passion project.

The wrestler-turned-actor and producer later grew to believe each character deserved a standalone origin story.

He fought to hive off Black Adam from the Shazam project. In a tweet, he said a solo movie would prevent his character's "ruthless, violent tone" from being diluted by the sunny, comedic slant of the Shazam movie.

Johnson's campaigning worked.

Shazam, played by Zachary Levi, went on to be the focus of the self-titled solo movie in 2019, with a sequel, Shazam! Fury Of The Gods, coming in 2023.

Johnson has confirmed that Adam and Shazam will meet in a future project.

But do not hold your breath if you are hoping for a Batman-Black Adam crossover.

Given the current fractured state of the DCEU, it is not known if the Justice Society of America or Black Adam will connect with other DC characters, even though in lore at least, they all live in a connected multiverse.