Although Shazam and his comic book nemesis, Black Adam, have yet to trade blows in the live-action DC Universe, Shazam! Wrath of the Gods director David F. Sandberg reveals that the Justice Society of America from Black Adam almost got in Shazam! successor.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sandberg was asked about Wrath of the Gods‘ mid-credits scene where ARGUS agents Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee) from The Suicide Squad (2021) and HBO Max’s Peacemaker recruit Shazam (Zachary Levi) to the JSA. According to the director, Harcourt and Economo’s appearance was a last-minute change, as the heroes from the DC super team were originally slated to appear. “There should be characters from (Black Adam’s) Justice Society, but it fell apart three days before we were supposed to roll cameras,” Sandberg said.
What is the Justice Society of America in Black Adam?
The DCU’s JSA was introduced in Black Adam (2022), with the heroes Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell). The DCU’s version of the team, which appeared in comics two decades before the Justice League did, is tasked by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), the head of ARGUS, to apprehend Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) after he is freed from a 5,000 year long exile. In the end, the JSA and Black Adam team up to stop the villain Sabbac from taking over the world, a battle that cost the life of a JSA member.
Sandberg explained how the entire movie’s gas station where Shazam meets Harcourt and Economos was built for the planned JSA scene. “I was really upset because we had built the abandoned gas station and we could only shoot that scene in that little piece of forest,” Sandberg said, adding, “They made it look really nice with very few resources, and so I was like, ‘We’ve got this set and we’ve got the time, so we’ve got to shoot something here’.”
Thanks to some calls made by producer Peter Safran, now one of DC Studios’ co-CEOs along with James Gunn, Holland and Agee signed on so the scene could be saved. “Jen Holland and Steve Agee were able to come by on very short notice,” explained Sandberg. “I mean, the scene makes a little less sense with them. It’s like, ‘Why are they recruiting for the Justice Society?’ , and it was really cool to shoot it because I’m a huge fan of Peacemaker.”
Future Peacemaker and Black Adam Projects, explained
Amanda Waller and the cast of Peacemaker may have a future in the DCU’s future, but one for Black Adam and the JSA is more uncertain. Peacemaker has been renewed for a second season, but it does not have an official release window. Davis will appear Waller meanwhile, another DC series focusing on the ARGUS chief in the wake of her crimes and Suicide Squad program published under Peacemaker Season 1 finale.
As for Black Adam and the JSA, back in November 2022, Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia hinted at future plans involving Atom Smasher, but whether this concerned Wrath of the Gods‘ mid-credit scene or other projects is unknown. A month later in December 2022, Johnson released a statement about a future hiatus Black Adam projects, which read: “James Gunn and I connected and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling. However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue to explore the most valuable ways Black Adam can be used in future multiverse chapters.”
Shazam’s DCU future hinges on the hero’s sequel
The first chapter of Gunn and Safran’s revamped DCU is titled “Gods & Monsters,” but no future Shazam! movie has been announced at the time of writing. Sandberg and Levi have both discussed how the hero’s DCU future depends on the success of Wrath of the Gods, and the film’s two credits scenes seem to create new stories for the character. Along with Shazam joining the JSA in the mid-credits scene, Wrath of the Gods‘ post-credits scene follows up on Doctor Sivana (Mark Strong) and Mister Mind’s partnership that was teased in Shazam! (2019).
Shazam! Wrath of the Gods now playing in cinemas.
Source: THR