Dwayne Johnson Ruffled Some Feathers at WB After He Pitched a Black Adam and Superman Multiyear Plan

I’ve teased a few times in past articles of information I heard about Dwayne Johnson trying to take the lead at DC Studios before James Gunn and Peter Safran were hired. Well, now Variety is offering some details on what was going on behind the scenes, and apparently, Johnson made some enemies at the studio.

According to the report, Johnson made a pitch to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav directly back in April 2022. In that meeting, Johnson laid out “a multiyear plan for Black Adam and a Cavill-led Superman in which the two properties would interweave, setting up a Superman-versus-Black Adam showdown.”

Johnson’s ambitions may have ruffled some feathers and earned him a few enemies at the studio as a source notes, “Dwayne went around everyone, which didn’t sit well.” He had a whole new vision and direction for the DC films, but the studio wasn’t buying it. That vision is 100% dead now, though.

Johnson’s relationship with the studio then kept going downhill as “Johnson pushed for a producing credit on the animated film DC League of Super-Pets. But the studio believed he 'did little to promote it.” Additionally, Johnson reportedly insisted that the Black Adam New York premiere feature his tequila brand, Teremana, which was scoffed at because of the film’s PG-13 rating.

Another inside went on to note that Johnson’s “demands increased and the returns just weren’t there.” It sounds like Johnson started getting a little ambitious and maybe even power-hungry. But, Black Adam ended up being a disappointing movie that didn’t live up to the hype.

Regardless of all this, Johnson’s future is fine. He’s always going to find movies to make that fit his style. It just won’t be at DC Studios anytime soon.