Dwayne Johnson Confirmed as Black Adam in SHAZAM!

Can you smellllllllllll what Black Adam is cooking?

After months of speculation, actor/wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson finally confirmed his upcoming DC Comics movie role -- the villainous Black Adam in a film adaptation of Shazam!  Johnson posted the following on his official Twitter account this afternoon...

"Kneel at his feet or get crushed by his boot." My honor to become.. #BlackAdam #TheAntiHero #DCComics pic.twitter.com/Qk55eNf3R7
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 3, 2014

DC Comics chief creative officer and writer of the recent Shazam reboot running through various issues of his Justice League series, also confirmed the news on Twitter, remarking that Johnson's casting was indeed "official."

Variety also confirms that a Shazam! movie adaptation is actually happening at New Line Cinema, after years of failed attempts.  Their sources claim that Darren Lemke is set to write the script and that Johnson is producing the film along with Hiram Garcia. 

"We love Dwayne and have had nothing but success with him over the years," said Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer of New Line.  "When I look at Dwayne both off screen and on screen, he is such a larger than life character and it just made perfect sense to me that we put him in a DC comic movie.  You look at these comic book characters and they have this certain swag and charisma that Dwayne carries with him where ever he is so that’s why this always made sense."

Johnson, now 42, has appeared in a number on popular action films, including Fast and the Furious 5, 6 and 7, the 2014 version of Hercules, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the 2008 Get Smart, The Scorpion King and The Mummy Returns.  And in 2000, Johnson appeared as The Champion in the Star Trek: Voyager TV episode "Tsunkatse."

Created by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck in 1945, Black Adam first appeared in The Marvel Family #1 as an ancient Egyptian prince named Teth-Adam that was chosen by the wizard Shazam under the presumption that he would be a worthy successor.  Saying the word "Shazam!", Teth-Adam was granted the same powers as the original Captain Marvel, but soon became corrupted by them.

In the recent DC Comics continuity known as The New 52, Black Adam was a former slave who was teleported from his prison cell to the Rock of Eternity and granted his powers by the wizard.  After encountering Billy Batson shortly after he became Shazam, Black Adam appeared during the Forever Evil storyline, answering Jimmy Olsen's call for help against Ultraman of the Crime Syndicate and teaming up with Sinestro to defeat him.

The Shazam! movie has yet to be officially announced, but is expected sometime between 2016 and 2020.