Aldis Hodge (The Invisible Man, Underground) is reportedly set to take on the role of Hawkman in DC/New Line’s upcoming Black Adam. Hodge has turned in charismatic performances in films like Hidden Figures and and stars as NFL icon Jim Brown in Regina King’s upcoming directorial debut One Night in Miami. Hodge made the announcement on his Instagram:
Hodge joins Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who will be playing Black Adam, and Noah Centineo (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) who is playing Atom Smasher. Black Adam will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise, The Shallows), with production set to begin sometime next year.
Hawkman, aka Carter Hall, was created by Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville in 1940. The character first appeared in Flash Comics #1(January 1940). The character has previously appeared on the small screen in series Smallville and Legends of Tomorrow, but Black Adam will be his feature debut.
A founding member of the Justice Society of America, Carter Hall is an American archaeologist who discovers he is the reincarnated ancient Egyptian Prince Khufu. Hall uses gravity-defying Nth metal to craft a belt and wings, and wields a mace. Like most Golden and Silver age characters, Hawkman has undergone various permutations and retcons. One version, Katar Hol, is an imperial prince of the planet Thanagar. Another version of the story changes the character into a sort of alien police officer defending Earth. Add his many reincarnations, and Hawkman has one of the more complex backstories in the DCU.
It’s unclear which origin story the film will go with, but my money is on reincarnated archaeologist. Mainly because I want to see Hodge play a version of Indiana Jones with superpowers. That version also ties in nicely with Black Adam himself, given the villain’s ancient Egyptian origins.
While we don’t know much about Black Adam, my money is on character being more of an anti-hero than an outright villain. It’s also unclear if and how the character, long known as Shazam’s nemesis, will crossover with the Shazam! films. Fellow JSA members Doctor Fate and Cyclone will appear in the film, but they have yet to be cast. There’s no word yet on whether or not Hawkman’s soul mate and reincarnated lover Hawkgirl/Shiera Sanders will appear in the film.
Hodge’s casting is exciting news, as he is a talented and charismatic actor ready for his leading role. Dwayne Johnson congratulated Hodge on Instagram, and included a transcript of their first phone call, which is very funny:
(via The Hollywood Reporter, featured image: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
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