Aldis Hodge is joining Warner Bros. Picture’s upcoming DC Comics Black Adam movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The news comes via The Wrap, with The Hollywood Reporter adding that “final talks” between Hodge and Warner Bros. are ongoing. Hawkman is a character that, at his most basic, is a hero with wings who swings a mace. His backstory is more complicated as decades of retroactive continuity has him pegged as either an alien from planet Thanagar, the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian prince, or both. His alter-ego is archaeologist Carter Hall, who becomes a member of the Justice Society of America, DC’s original superhero team that Johnson already confirmed would appear in the Black Adam movie.
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If you don’t know the name, Aldis Hodge had a breakout role in the TV series Leverage in the 2010s. Since then, Hodge has starred Misha Green’s acclaimed Civil War series Underground; the hit biopics Straight Outta Compton and Hidden Figures; as well as this year’s hit horror re-imagining of The Invisible Man. The time seems about right for him to make the jump into a big superhero movie role.
As stated above, Hawkman is a unique (and challenging) character in DC Comics’ lineup. 20th-century archaeologist Carter Hall discovered the mysterious “Nth” metal wings that allow him to fly, and a powerful mace to wield as his weapon. Callings of his past lives push Carter to become the superhero Hawkman, and eventually, he discovers his past life origin as Prince Khufu, who was murdered by an Nth metal dagger by a traitorous priest (alongside with his love, Chay-Ara). Carter discovers that the same cycle of events are playing out in 1940, as Chay-Ara was reborn as Shiera Sanders, while the priest also returned to cause their doom all over again.
Things only get weirder from there; Hawkman and Hawkgirl were later retconned to be Katar Hol and Shayera Hol, two police officers on the alien world of Thanagar, where Nth metal is used to create an entire hawk army and uniquely powerful weaponry. Eventually, Katar and Shayera end up on Earth, where they adopt the identities of Carter and Shiera Hall. DC Comics canon gets even more muddled from there, as both Hawkman and Hawkgirl have gone through several big reinventions. So as stated, Warner Bros. and New Line Pictures have a lot to pick and choose from.
DC’s Black Adam movie will see Dwayne Johnson playing the titular Black Adam – a former champion of the wizard Shazam, who became a violent anti-hero ruler of his homeland. The film will see Black Adam have to battle the Justice Society of America, a prominent DC Superhero team. Actor Noah Centineo has been cast as the JSA’s size-changing hero Atom Smasher, and Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman would be the second of the four-member squad. DC heroes Cyclone and Doctor Fate have yet to have their casting picks announced.
Black Adam is set to hit theaters on December 22, 2021.
