“In the End, He Was a Pawn…”: Insider Shares How Overzealous Dwayne Johnson Botched Deal for Billion Dollar Franchise Star

Ever since announcing himself as the antihero Black Adam, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson set out to change the “hierarchy of power” inside the DC universe. However, as his dream project failed to match the hype at the box-office, Johnson may have unwittingly damaged not just his own, but the future of a franchise favorite as well.

Earlier on December 14th, actor Henry Cavill announced on Instagram that he would not be reprising his role as Superman. His post left several fans heartbroken, especially as Cavill had made it official that he would be returning to play the role, almost two months ago.

The earlier announcement came after Cavill’s cameo in Johnson’s Black Adam. However, after a change of guard at the DC Studios, that isn’t happening. Not just Cavill as Superman, the Brahma Bull’s dream of creating a Black Adam franchise is likely over.

Over the months, Johnson had hyped and backed Cavill’s return as Kal-El. ‘The People’s Champion’ scored brownie points with Cavill’s cameo, but it turned out to be a short-lived one. Now, a DC insider has called out The Rock for making Cavill a casualty in his failed attempt.

“In the end, he was a pawn in Dwayne’s failed attempt to control a piece of DC,” The Hollywood Reporter quoted the insider as saying.

Is Dwayne Johnson parting ways with DCU and Black Adam?

The Dwayne Johnson-DC Studios saga seems unrelenting, with actions taking place left, right and center. Now, reports have emerged that Dwayne Johnson has unfollowed the official pages for Warner Bros. Discovery and Black Adam. Though nothing is official yet, the hints indicate the widening gap between him, the studio, and the character.

Read More: Black Adam DCU Future Bleak After Dwayne Johnson Gives Warner Bros the Ultimate Middle Finger- Report

Earlier, he had shared a Deadline report that claimed profit for Black Adam ranging between $52 million and $72 million, after the movie raked in nearly $390 million. In an embarrassment for him, a report from Puck claimed several Warners executives thought Johnson and his team on purpose leaked the numbers.

The newsletter, written by Matthew Belloni, claimed that the trade story was “filled with false assumptions”. To validate the argument, a report from Variety had stated that the Dwayne Johnson movie needed to collect $600 million worldwide to break even. The same piece said that Black Adam would incur a loss between $50 million and $100 million.

Whether Johnson was right in unfollowing the studio and the character pages is open to debate. On one hand, the Brahma Bull nursed his dream project for close to a decade. On the other, the film’s box-office collection has been underwhelming.

Be it the wrestling ring or Hollywood, Johnson has bounced back strong to deliver grand performances. Fans would be hoping for an encore.

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