Dwayne Johnson’s long-anticipated Black Adam film is finally gaining some serious momentum, and the cast is slowly starting to fill out. We’ve known that Johnson is set to play the titular antihero and that Noah Centineo will portray DC Comics hero Atom Smasher but, now, we’ve just learned that Aldis Hodge has joined the cast as Hawkman. Landing a key role in a massive project like this wouldn’t seem real for some actors. And based on a hilarious story shared by Johnson, it sounds like Hodge initially thought his casting was a prank.
Shortly after news broke of Aldis Hodge’s Black Adam casting, Dwayne Johnson took to Instagram to recall the time he called Aldis Hodge to tell him he’d been hired. Johnson wanted to personally reach out to the actor with the news, but the unexpected interaction that ensued turned out to be “one of the greatest conversations” Johnson has ever had.
Dwayne Johnson gave a detailed description of the initial chat, which began with him casually calling up Aldis Hodge. However, when the wrestler-turned-actor introduced himself, there was a long pause before Hodge responded with, “Whoever this is stop playing on my phone.” Johnson then asserted that he was in fact who he said he was though, after another lengthy pause, Hodge stated, “This shit ain’t funny, I said stop playing on my fucking phone.”
Johnson finally managed to convince Hodge, however, when he thanked him for sending in his audition tape and for putting his all into it before formally welcoming him to the cast. With this, Hodge asked him to hold while he stepped away for a moment, and Johnson recalls only hearing “inaudible yells.” An excited Hodge then returned to the phone, and the two proceeded to have a conversation that was filled with “gratitude, love and motivation.”
I don’t know about any of you, but I think my initial response to Johnson’s call would have been the same as Hodge’s. The actor was probably expecting his agent to call with news on the role and not the film’s star and producer. Still, it all makes for a great story, and you can’t help but smile when reading about Hodge’s excitement. Check out Johnson’s original post down below:
Over the years, Aldis Hodge has proven his talent through a myriad of projects, which range from TV shows like Leverage, Underground and City on a Hill to films like Straight Outta Compton and The Invisible Man. The latter film, which released earlier this year, has earned him significant acclaim. So it should come as no surprise that he came onto Warner Bros. and DC’s radar.
Black Adam will see the character come to blows with the Justice Society of America, which consists of Hawkman, Atom Smasher, Cyclone and Doctor Fate. There’s no telling how this story will pan out, but fans are certainly hoping it will lead to an eventual face-off between Black Adam and Shazam. Still, let’s hope there’s a future for Aldis Hodge in the growing DC Extended Universe as well.
Black Adam will thunder into theaters on December 22, 2021.
