The DC movie universe has found its Hawkman. Aldis Hodge, who recently starred inThe Invisible Manremake, has been tapped to star as the superhero inBlack Adamalongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The project has been in development for a long time, with Johnson on board to play the anti-hero. Now, the movie has added some additional star power while bringing another well-known hero from the pages of DC Comics to the big screen.
According to several reports,Aldis Hodgeis in talks to play Hawkman inBlack Adam. Sorry to those who were hoping Ryan Reynolds would get the gig. No further details have been provided regarding the size of his role. However, it was previously revealed that the Justice Society will be involved, with Hawkman serving as one of the members. Atom Smasher will also be a member of the supergroup, with Noah Centineo (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) on board to play the character. Hodge, meanwhile is known for his roles in movies such asHidden FiguresandStraight Outta Compton, as well as TV shows likeUndergroundandLeverage.
Hawkmanfirst appeared in the pages ofFlash Comics#1 back in 1940. At the time, the hero was the alter ego of Carter Hall, an archaeologist. That version of the character was created by Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville. He comes to find that he is the reincarnated version of ancient Egyptian royalty. The character was reinvented by Timothy Truman a couple of decades later in 1961. That version of Hawkman, Katar Hol, was an alien from the world Thanagar. It is expected that Aldis Hodge will be playing a version based on Carter Hall. So we may not be taking a trip to Thanagar in the DCEU just yet. We got a glimpse at the character in an animated teaser that was released during the movie’sDC FanDomepanel.
This movie has been in development, in some form or another, for years now. Originally, the character ofBlack Adamwas going to be the antagonist inShazam!But once Dwayne Johnson’s star power grew, he and Warner Bros. came to the conclusion that the character could warrant his own cinematic adventure first. Originally, filming was supposed to kick off this summer but, due to the widespread production shutdown, it had to be pushed back. It is unclear when filming is set to begin. Johnson is currently filming his thrillerRed Noticefor Netflix and he is expected to move onto this project after his commitments there have wrapped up.
Jaume Collet-Serra, who recently worked withThe Rockon Disney’sJungle Cruise, is directing. Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani wrote the screenplay, with Adam Sztykiel penning a previous draft. At present,Black Adamis set to hit theaters on July 30, 2025. Whether or not that date sticks remains to be seen. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. This news was previously reported byThe Wrap.
