Dwayne Johnson’s superhero film Black Adam’s sequel was dropped after James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios, the actor claimed in a Hart to Heart interview with Kevin Hart on Friday.

“I think that Black Adam got caught in a vortex of new leadership…. that will always be one of the biggest mysteries, not only for you and me on our end but also for our business,” he said.

The actor came down hard on the DC Studios leaders for introducing the new DCU at a time when a new superhero like Black Adam needed to be established with a sequel. “You’re establishing a new superhero and you want to grow out of the franchise. You bring back Superman and Henry Cavill — the world went crazy. … We created a diverse superhero portfolio, where we have just men and women of colour in Black Adam 2 as well.”

Johnson made his debut as the DC antihero in Black Adam, which narrates the origins of his character as the father of a Kahndaq slave boy who receives the powers of Shazam. However, instead of using these powers for good, the character seeks revenge and ends up being imprisoned for countless years, only to be released into the modern era. Despite being one of Johnson's most significant openings to date, the 2022 movie fell short of meeting expectations.

In December 2022, Johnson announced on Twitter that the development of a Black Adam sequel had come to a halt and would not be continuing in the near future. “James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling. However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilised in future DC multiverse chapters.”