Black Adam Producer Hiram Garcia Offers First Major Updates

Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam movie is quietly taking shape behind-the-scenes. As the actor is set for a blockbuster release in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw over the first weekend in August, his team is very much gearing up for the DC Comics title which is of personal interest to producer Hiram Garcia. Garcia, the mastermind behind Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions studio, is a long-time fan of the Black Adam character — and now he has offered up some major updates on the upcoming title.

“You’re going to meet is you’re going to meet a character who’s going through a journey,” Garcia tells ComicBook.com. “He was created as a villain. And through the love of the fans and through some great writers and storytellers, he evolved into an antihero. The antihero is a character that we always loved and that we responded to. But we understand that there’s been many aspects to Black Adam through him. But ultimately this is a guy who, he does have a moral compass, as skewed as it may be. And ultimately he is a guy that everything has always been driven by his family and what happens to them and he is never opposed to unleashing hell when you cross him. So, I think when you add in those elements of that DNA, those are things we’re very aware of.”

These elements of the DC Comics character sound like they’re going to make their way to the movie is Garcia has his way — and as a producer on the film, he should certainly have his way. “Those are things that we love about him because he’s complicated,” Garcia explained. “He’s not just justice for all. And he’s not just a villain. This is a guy who’s complex, who’s had many things happen to him and that all shows in his actions. So this a guy who’s going through a journey. He will find himself, but where it goes, you guys will have to find out. But believe me, we know as a huge fan myself, this is a guy who is complicated and vicious.”

As far as timing for production and release goes, it doesn’t sound like anything is locked into place just yet, though the project is certainly coming along, including director Jaume-Collett Serra of The Shallows and Unknown. “We have a script. We have a great script,” Garcia said. “We have a great director now. We are going into polishes and tweaks, but we are thrilled with the story we’ve had with the world we’re creating, the studio’s thrilled, our partners are thrilled. And, look, at my core I always like to say, ‘I was a fan boy before anything.’ Before anything, I was a fan boy. And I was fortunate enough to become a producer and come into this business.”

Going back to his own childhood, it sounds like the character Johnson promises will be “a villain” when introduced is in good hands.

“I always keep that DNA with me,” Garcia said of Black Adam’s comic book history. “I had all these comic books back in the day. I read them all and for us we have been… I’m very happy with how this story has been crafted. We’ve worked very closely with our writers on this and I think the fans are really going to dig what we’ve got planned.”

There was no way any details of supporting characters were going to pop out of Garcia’s mouth in the interview featured in the video above, as he laughed off the question, though he does admit there are plans for the costume coming together. “We’re in that process,” Garcia said. “We have an idea of the direction we want to go, but we’re actually in the process now of assembling our crew and our team of filmmakers. So all that is in the works.”

Black Adam does not yet have a release date. Garcia confirms it will arrive after his and Johnson’s efforts on Red Notice with Netflix. Garcia and Johnson’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw opens in theaters on August 2.