Zachary Levi was casting thunderbolts Tuesday, after a report circulated that Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson blocked characters from the Rock’s film showing up in a post-credits scene in Levi’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
It was already known that members of Black Adam’s Justice Society of America were originally slated to appear in Fury of the Gods, with filmmaker David F. Sandberg telling The Hollywood Reporter that the scene “fell apart three days before we were going to roll cameras,” forcing him to find alternate characters at the last minute. On Tuesday, The Wrap reported that Johnson blocked the characters from appearing in Fury of the Gods, and that the actor and producer also nixed a potential Levi cameo in Black Adam.
In an Instagram story Tuesday, Levi shared a post mentioning The Wrap’s reporting, and he added his own commentary: “The truth shall set you free.”
Black Adam was a passion project for Johnson, who lobbied to have the classic Shazam antagonist receive his own spinoff movie, rather than being included as the villain in 2019’s Shazam! The star and producer was also instrumental in bringing Henry Cavill back as Superman in a cameo for Adam.
Yet when it was released in October, Black Adam disappointed at the box office. Soon after, DC underwent a leadership change that effectively killed chances for more Black Adam in the DC Universe while also ending Cavill’s short-lived revival as Superman.
Fury of the Gods, meanwhile, also disappointed at the box office upon its release last week, making the chances of a third Shazam! all but impossible.
Levi, for his part, has been a vocal defender of the film. Wrote the actor on Twitter on Monday: “I think the biggest issue we’re having is marketing. This is a perfect family movie, and yet a lot of families aren’t aware of that. Which is just a shame.”
