Black Adam is literally not going to be like any of the DC films we have seen before. As a character, he serves as the main antagonist for Shazam aka Billy Batson, the young boy who assumes the identity of the superpowered being when shouting “Shazam,” who will have his own film. So it was interesting to hear that Black Adam would be getting his own film. Of course, when it was announced that Dwayne Johnson would be playing the title character, it made plenty of sense.

While the project has been in development for quite some time, it just took a major step forward. New reports confirm that Due Date writer and Undateable creator Adam Sztykiel will pen the script. More on the story below.

The news comes on the heels that Zachary Levi has signed on to play as the title character in Shazam!

According to the Tracking Board, Sztykiel will now pen the script. His credits include Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip and Due Date.

Now what’s interesting about this project is that it is being shot concurrently with Shazam! Also there really hasn’t been a villain centric film like this before. We may have seen anti-heroe films before, but not one based on a villain. But when you have someone who has as much star power as Johnson, you can’t really make him share the spotlight with Levi, as much fun as that would be. Johnson needs his own film. So give the man what he wants.

Based on Sztykiel’s writing style there might be a slight comedic slant to this film. One thing to keep in mind is that these films aren’t really a part of the DCEU, even though they are based on DC characters. Also, this will be a New Line Cinema film and not the traditional WB one. A common criticism of these DC films is that they are just too dark and brooding. So a possibly comedic script would be a nice sidestep away from those dark films.

Plus we know Johnson is fully capable of being funny. And the actor has hinted at “tonal shifts and developments coming in these future movies” that has him “fired up.”

Now Black Adam may be the villain to Shazam, but who will serve as the antagonist to him? And an even bigger question is if Black Adam will show up in Shazam! or vice-versa. It’s not like we haven’t seen heroic cameos being made before their own standalone flicks.

One thing to note, and it is a slight spoiler, Levi is in Thor: Ragnarok, but him signing on to Shazam! should pretty much tell you the fate of Fandral.

This is practically an unproven concept for a major studio, as we haven’t seen a hero and villain get their own films concurrently. So you can say that it is a bit risky. However, we will see how it works itself out, or at least the first part of it, when Shazam! hits theaters on April 5, 2019. Black Adam has yet to be dated.

[Source: The Tracking Board]