‘Black Adam’ Delays Due to ‘Seismic Shifts’ in VFX, Jammed COVID Workflow

Forget the Rock, the delays behind “Black Adam” special effects are like pushing a boulder uphill.

Warner Bros. previously announced that “Black Adam” would be released three months after its scheduled date of July 29, landing in theaters instead on October 21, 2022. Now, producer Hiram Garcia explained the real reason behind the setback.

“I think we’re just in a world right now where there was a huge and understandable freeze-up when the pandemic hit and a lot of productions were put on hold,” Garcia told The Wrap. “Now that the industry has really roared back, the pipeline for VFX is so jammed. Obviously all these superhero movies just require so much VFX, and we’re just in a situation where the majority of the VFX houses are just completely swamped with work.”

“Black Adam” stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the titular anti-hero and arch-nemesis of Shazam. Noah Centineo, Quintessa Swindell, Aldis Hodge, and Pierce Brosnan also star in the DC film. “Black Adam” is directed by Johnson’s “Jungle Cruise” collaborator Jaume Collet-Serra.

Johnson previously teased the impact of Black Adam on the Justice League, captioning on Instagram that the “hierarchy of power in the DC [universe] is about to change” when announcing the swapped release date.

Producer Garcia provided specifics as to the special effects delays.

“I think that’s why you saw seismic shifts across the board [with VFX], and you continue to see those giant properties just moving further down the line,” Garcia said. “And it’s just a matter of the vendors being able to accommodate the amount of VFX they have to do, the shots that have to be done.”

He added, “They’re busting their ass and we’re so grateful for all those VFX houses. It feels like things are starting to calibrate and I think you’ll start to feel less shifts down the line.”

Similar to lead star Johnson, Garcia concluded that the team is “really excited with the way the movie’s been looking,” and production is “excited to finish it and get it out into the world.”

The first footage of the film dropped at 2022 CinemaCon, with Johnson as Black Adam warning that there is always a “grey” zone when it comes to right and wrong.

“Black Adam” premieres in theaters on October 21.