Fans of DC have not had a particularly good year in 2022. Fans were able to enjoy a brief moment of happiness after Dwayne Johnson brought Henry Cavill back into the DCEU with Black Adam, which was followed by more cancellations.

It did not last long, though, as James Gunn quickly announced that the Man of Steel actor will not be playing Superman in upcoming motion pictures. Fans did not anticipate it in light of Cavill’s surprise presence in the 2022 movie.

Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam

James Gunn received quite a backlash after the director announced the news. However, fans also called out The Rock for using Superman’s cameo to hype his film. And a new report has revealed that the Red Notice star was looking forward to leading the DC universe in a new direction.

Dwayne Johnson Had His Own Plan For DC’s Future

Before James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as the CEO of DC Studios, Dwayne Johnson had his own plans for DC. According to Variety, soon after Warner Bros. and Discovery merger Johnson met the CEO David Zaslav and pitched a multiyear plan with Black Adam and Superman’s character.

David Zaslav mentions HBO Max in his statements.

Sources claimed that Hiram Garcia, the producer of Black Adam, and Beau Flynn were also in favor of The Rock’s plan. The report claims that the Baywatch star was looking forward to setting up a “Superman-versus-Black Adam showdown.” However, some sources claimed that there was no discussion of Black Adam’s future in the DC universe.

Sources claimed that most of these discussions started after the former DC head Walter Hamada declared his plans to exit the studio. “Dwayne went around everyone, which didn’t sit well,” said one source. Sources claimed that Dwayne Johnson was seeking approval for Henry Cavill’s cameo in Black Adam. 

Dwayne Johnson at the Black Adam event

And after Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy joined Warner Bros. as new film co-heads, they approved Cavill’s cameo. However, things did not go as planned after the release of the film. Despite the long-awaited return of Superman, Black Adam failed to be the hit the studio had hoped for.

With an approximate budget of over $200 million, it was only able to gross $391 million worldwide. The Rock’s plans to lead DC or to set up a Black Adam vs Superman showdown fell apart after James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as the new CEOs of DC Studios.

Dwayne Johnson’s Demands Kept on Growing

Soon after Henry Cavill’s departure, Dwayne Johnson also released a statement saying that Black Adam is not in James Gunn’s initial DC plans. However, the Variety report claims that there were already some issues between Warner Bros and the Hercules star.

Johnson demanded producing credits on Warner Bros. DC League of Super-Pets. Sources claim that his demands did not end there as the Faster star then asked the studio to organize a tequila bar at the New York premiere of Black Adam. And specifically asked to have his brand Teremana Tequila.

Dwayne Johnson

Another insider said, “His demands increased and the returns just weren’t there.” This all was followed by Black Adam’s poor performance at the box office. While the San Andreas star expected to have a face-off with Superman, the new CEO ruined his plan.

While Dwayne Johnson was not able to move forward with his DC plans, the new CEOs of DC Studios are planning to release their plan for the first phase of DCU.

Black Adam is available to stream on HBO Max.