After 15 years in the making, Black Adam finally made its debut on Wednesday night, hosting its world premiere in Times Square.
The DC film, which stars Dwayne Johnson as the titular antihero who is released into modern times after 5,000 years of imprisonment, has been a longtime dream of Johnson’s, as he told THR about putting on his (not-muscle-padded) suit for the first time.
“I just took a look in the mirror — it was a very humbling moment because I fought so hard for this movie to get this movie made, and keep it on track. Fifteen long years, and here we are,” Johnson reminisced on the red carpet. “Before I walked out of my trailer on day one, I was grateful: Thank you, God; thank you, universe; let’s go to work. I go on set, I go to meet our director, Jaume Collet-Serra, I start talking to him about the scene, and then I look up. When I look up about 20 feet away, all the JSA [Justice Society of America], all the actors are in their costumes, all standing there, walking towards me and Jaume. I was blown away. I will never forget that moment, because in that moment everything crystalized.”
“This is why, if you believe in something you’re so passionate about, stay on course,” Johnson continued of his commitment to the project. “People are going to try to deviate you from it — stay on course, stay on course, stay on course, and keep fighting for something if you believe in it. I fought and then all of a sudden I see the JSA. That’s the reason why. I’m lucky to have them, I’m very lucky to have those actors.”
The film also stars Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, Marwan Kenzari and Pierce Brosnan, the latter of whom plays JSA member Doctor Fate.
Calling Black Adam “a beast of a film, a feast of a film,” Brosnan said when he got the call to join the cast, “I was just really very touched and so exhilarated by it. I’ve often wondered, would I be offered, could I get a part in one of these movies? And this is beyond my wildest dreams.”
Johnson, whose own muscles rival those of most onscreen superheroes, was an intimidating opponent for the actors who had to face off with him, as Hodge (who plays Hawkman) joked that once he got the role, “You get in the gym immediately and you get your body ready. I got with the stunt team a couple of months before we started shooting and I was training with them every day, literally from four in the morning to four in the afternoon.”
And though the two had frequent onscreen battles — with Hodge “being thrown through a room in a building, thrown on a car, being dropped from 50 feet in the air” — the two saw each other as teammates. As for who from the DC Universe he hopes Hawkman to appear with next, Hodge pitched, “I definitely want to bring in Mr. Terrific — his backstory is terrific — and then also Hawkgirl.”
Centineo also expressed his admiration for Johnson while on the carpet, noting that many in his position of fame and Hollywood power would feel like everyone owes them something: “He is not that. He has time for you, has time for everyone, values everyone for their role no matter how big or small. And that is something I look up to and appreciate so much.”
Inside the event, producers Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia and Dany Garcia took the stage to share their thanks for the cast and crew, and Collet-Serra threw his praise toward Johnson, noting how “his passion has inspired me personally, his work ethic, and has pushed us — not only me but everyone involved in this movie, to make a movie up to his standards because his standards are the best standards.” He went on to say of Johnson, “The only real superhero to play a superhero.”
Black Adam hits theaters Oct. 21.
