DC Comics

'Kneel at his feet or get crushed by his boot.'

Can you smell what The Rock is cooking? It's a new role in a DC Comics movie, one that's been percolating for a good long while and was finally, seemingly confirmed today (September 3) by Dwayne Johnson's Twitter feed:

For literally years, The Rock has been teasing his involvement in a DC Comics/Warner Bros. movie, going as far as to suggest he could play either the heroic Shazam (think Superman but with magic fueled powers), or the villainous Black Adam (same as Shazam, but evil) in a movie that most thought would be announced at San Diego Comic-Con.

That particular announcement didn't come to pass, but the famously magnanimous star has clearly been bursting at the seams to tell the world just who he will be. Turns out, it's not the heroic Shazam, it's the other guy.

What's most interesting about The Rock's tweet, beyond the confirmation (or rough confirmation, of course), is that he hashtagged the plug "#TheAntiHero." Which is, given comics continuity, accurate. Black Adam is usually depicted as the leader of the Middle Eastern nation of Khandaq, a dictator who will stop at nothing to protect the people of his homeland.

But unlike other comic book despots, he cares about the little people, and has occasionally fought on the side of the heroes. Also, unlike characters The Rock usually portrays, he's a huge jerk.

Variety confirmed the news, adding that Darren Lemke is scripting the "Shazam" movie, and Black Adam is more of an anti-hero looking to clear his name.

What do you think of The Rock's casting?