News

Saoirse Ronan is surely on her way to becoming one of the best performers of the 21st century. With four—yes, count them, four —Oscar nominations under her belt by the age of 30, she’s left even the most seasoned actors turning green with envy. Since her breakthrough role in 2007’s Atonement, she has shown an uncanny ability to slip into characters like a chameleon on a red carpet, working with acclaimed directors like Greta Gerwig, Wes Anderson, and Joe Wright.

Saoirse Ronan in Blitz (2024) | Credit: Apple TV+

Through her talent and persistence, Ronan has helped many of her flicks become certified classics of modern cinema, firming her reputation as a major movie star. So, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and rank her films. Ready? Let’s dive in!

10. See How They Run (2022)

First up, we have See How They Run, where Saoirse Ronan shares the screen...

In the world of comic books and their cross-media adaptations, DC’s Batman reigns supreme as one of the most fan-followed characters ever. The Caped Crusader has been around for decades. Throughout these years, there have been several iterations of him, portraying him sometimes as a benevolent superhero and other times as a darker and more evil incarnation.

The fan-favorite Batman [Credit: The Brave and the Bold | Cartoon Network]However, throughout his time as a ‘superhero’, while the character has had multiple persona changes, he has remained a compassionate being whose first instinct is to protect and save. And this is something that Batman: Caped Crusader nails while Zack Snyder fails to do with Ben Affleck.

Batman: Caped Crusader Does a Better Job Than Zack Snyder

Batman: Caped Crusader | Amazon Prime Video

DC’s enigmatic superhero, Batman, has received a new TV adaptation in the form of Amazon Prime’s Batman: Caped Crusader. An animated TV...

Warning: Spoilers for Catwoman #62 ahead!

Catwoman joins the Suicide Squad for a heist and then gains the power of Shazam by invoking an Egyptian cat goddess. Catwoman's resurrection powers from Bastet make her a fitting candidate for Shazam's power, despite not following traditional aspects. Using Shazam's power, Catwoman escapes Amanda Waller, leaving readers to wonder about the full implications of her newfound abilities.

It's time for the most daring raid of Catwoman's career as she joins the Suicide Squad for the ultimate heist: stealing one of Khandaq's prize artifacts right from under Black Adam's nose. Not only does Selina make off with the Royal Beard of Hatshepsut, she comes away with a much greater prize, becoming the latest DC hero to wield the power of Shazam.

Catwoman #62 by Tini Howard and Carmine di Giandomenico continues Catwoman's quest to clean up her unfinished business, this time leading her to fulfill a long-owed debt to Amanda Waller.

Warning: Spoilers for Shazam! (2023) #2 ahead!Black Adam and his horrific punishment of five thousand years in exile has always existed as a cautionary tale about the abuse of incredible power, but Billy Batson's struggles with empathy and compassion in his super-powered form suggest that Black Adam may not have been to blame for his own misdeeds. If so, it would exonerate one of DC's greatest villainous figures from the majority of his crimes, setting him on the path to a truly heroic redemption.

Mark Waid, Dan Mora, and Alejandro Sánchez's Shazam! (2023) marks a fresh start for the character, with Billy Batson operating as a hero under the guise of his super-powered alter-ego, now colloquially known as "the Captain." The series' second issue, "Meet the Captain, Chapter 2," sees Billy shaken after the Captain explodes in inexplicable rage at some helpless civilians, and leaves him reluctant to transform again until he...

“Oh wow, your memory needs to reset,” a user of Replika, an AI companion chat app, wrote to their virtual partner this week. “Let me ask it this way … Who is my wife?” The bot seemed coy about its answer. “I do have an idea,” it replied. The human user pressed the question: “Please answer with your best guess, who is my wife?” The Replika took the hint: “You know it’s me baby,” it wrote.

The user, who shared this exchange on the subreddit r/replika — the largest online...

DC's Black Adam and Marvel's Moon Knight are more similar than they seem at first sight. Although with different results, 2022 gave Black Adam and Moon Knight the chance to demonstrate their potential to thrive in live-action. Both brutal anti-heroes are powered by higher beings, and both are rooted in Egyptian mythology, but their similarities don't stop there.

Real-world mythology is a great source of inspiration for comic books and comic book movies. For instance, Thor's corner of the Marvel Universe draws upon Norse mythology almost directly with places such as Asgard, Valhalla, and Jotunheim, while DC's Themyscira draws upon Greek mythology to inform the Amazons' fictional lore. Both Black Adam and Moon Knight have the same mythological background, and they also share some very specific characteristics.

Related: A Black Adam Vs. Shazam Fight Probably Won't Happen Now (But That’s Good)

The Egyptian Gods Give Black Adam And Moon...

Black Adam and Shazam’s connection was hinted at in the Black Adam movie, but there’s more there than meets the eye. Black Adam was recently released on HBO Max despite the current turmoil at DC Studios, and it's unclear what the future holds for the current iteration of live-action DC characters. Though Black Adam’s Dwayne Johnson recently released a statement letting fans know that the new DC Studios leadership doesn’t currently want to pursue a sequel, anything is possible in the future. Black Adam’s connection with another already-established Dcu superhero could be just the thing to bring him back into the fold later down the line.

While Black Adam’s big post-credits scene focused on Henry Cavill’s return as Superman (a scene which unfortunately no longer holds any weight) and teased an upcoming showdown, it is Black Adam’s references to the Shazam! franchise that's more exciting.

Black Adam showed off the majority of the title character’s abilities, including one that was used to stealthily explain how he was able to pick up English immediately. Black Adam’s wide array of powers, including a sudden understanding of a language that he predates by thousands of years, was never questioned in the movie, probably because things were too busy exploding around him for anyone to worry about it. It did create a jarring experience for some, however, as the ability is so convenient and subtle that no one unfamiliar with the character could be expected to know what’s going on.

The wisdom of Solomon is one of Shazam’s most useful powers, and Black Adam’s equivalent is arguably even better. Black Adam has a number of useful powers that may not seem as impressive as his more flashy combat-oriented ones, and a few of them...

It might well be the perfect role for Dwayne Johnson but can Jaume Collet-Serra’s violent and occasionally knuckle-headed film really get DC back on track?

Dwayne Johnson is here to claim his throne as Hollywood’s greatest action hero, and Black Adam seems like the perfect vehicle. Powered by ancient Egyptian gods this 5,000-year old costumed titan arrives in the DC universe with the aim of restoring the Marvel-style inter-connectivity between superheroes that hit a stumbling block when the original 2017 Justice League movie failed to get anyone excited about Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman teaming up to take down the nefarious Steppenwolf.

It’s got umpteen members of the newly introduced Justice Society of America, from Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman to Pierce Brosnan’s Doctor Fate. It introduces an entirely new comic book nation in the form of the oppressed, Egypt-like Kahndaq. And it even sees the return of Henry Cavill’s Superman,...

F​ifteen long years ago, Dwayne Johnson first teased that he was going to play Black Adam on the big screen. Yes, in 2007, the first reports came out that The Rock wanted to play Black Adam on screen. Since then, superhero movies have taken over the box office, but there didn’t seem to be a peep about this movie finally happening for a long time. This weekend the film finally hit the big screen fulfilling Johnson’s promise to bring the character to life. The film is filled with all sorts of Black Adam Easter Eggs that you might have missed.

W​Arning!!!!! There will be spoilers for Black Adam below.

A​drianna Tomaz And Amon

T​he film centers on Adrianna Tomaz and her son Amon as they look for ways to finally free their home of Intergang. This is not the first live-action outing for the character.

It’s finally happening. Black Adam is getting his own solo movie. He may not be the most famous comic book character around, but with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson set to play the mighty Kahndaqi, that’s all about to change. Black Adam has largely been defined as Shazam’s perennial nemesis, but it’s clear Geoff Johns and the DC Extended Universe intend to expand his reputation and reveal several Black Adam facts.

Neither hero nor villain, Black Adam is firmly in the antihero camp. Though armed with god-like powers and devil-like rage, he is a servant of justice with a strict (albeit flexible) moral code. When given the choice between playing Shazam and Black Adam, Dwayne Johnson expressed his excitement for the latter, saying, "I just love [his] backstory, and I think that Black Adam has always been, for me, the most intriguing superhero."

Update: 2022/10/20 08:20 Est By Shawn S. Lealos...

Spoilers for Black Adam #5 by DC ComicsWhile Batman has a strict no-kill rule in the DC Universe, even he admits he's running out of reasons not to end Black Adam. In Black Adam #5, after Bruce Wayne learns that the antihero is responsible for another deadly incident, he shares that Teth-Adam is making it harder for him to justify keeping him alive.

While Batman has a no-kill rule in the DC Universe, the hero is capable of taking down the greatest heroes in the Justice League. Batman famously has contingency plans to defeat his most powerful allies - which readers saw come to fruition during the Tower of Babel storyline from Mark Waid, Howard Porter, and Steve Scott. Now, The Dark Knight is admitting that there is a hero he's running out of reasons not to end, as Black Adam's latest actions have captured the hero's attention for the wrong reasons.

Dwayne Johnson is finally joining the Dceu with Black Adam. The movie’s trailers (not to mention the movie itself) showcase a brutally action-packed epic, the character isn’t one of DC’s most well known, despite having been around for over 75 years. Black Adam is truly the most complex (and violent) character to spring from the Shazam mythos and has been the center of some of DC’s best tales of the past 20 years. He has become one of DC’s greatest anti-heroes, a godlike being of profound honor and with an immense capacity for violence.

But what makes Black Adam so tough, and why is one of the biggest action stars of a generation so eager to play him? That’s because he shares that magic word of Shazam and it makes him a formidable character with a cool set of powers and abilities.

Black Adam Powers and...

Nearly 80 years after making his first comic-book appearance, Black Adam will finally hit the big screen on Oct. 21. He'll be played by none other than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who had been rumored to play the character for years before his casting was finally announced in 2014. Black Adam was originally set to make his cinematic debut in the 2019 "Shazam!" movie; however, in January 2017, DC revealed he would be getting a solo film instead, and the news only made fans even more excited to see the character's long-awaited introduction to the DC cinematic universe.

We've already gotten a glimpse at the "Black Adam" film through several trailers and teaser videos. In the second trailer, which arrived on Sept. 8, we see that a superhero team known as the Justice Society of America will go up against Black Adam in the movie. If you're unfamiliar with Black Adam's origins in the comic books,...

Dwayne Johnson will portray one of the most badass villains in the DC Universe when the Dceu Black Adam movie arrives. While Black Adam has historically been known as a Shazam villain, he’ll get his own solo movie this time around (where he’ll square off with Hawkman and the Justice Society no less!).

But what makes Black Adam so tough, and why is one of the biggest action stars of a generation so eager to play him? That’s because he shares that magic word of Shazam and it makes him a formidable character with a cool set of powers and abilities.

The traditional Shazam acronym stands for a group of gods and heroes (mostly) stemming from the Greco-Roman tradition. Billy Batson is imbued with the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed...

While DC Fandome hasn’t officially kicked off yet, the hype machine is in full effect. One of the key panels on the schedule for the first day of the DC Universe-spanning event will focus on Black Adam, the long in-development movie starring Dwayne Johnson as the notorious Shazam villain.

Black Adam is the story of a man from ancient times who is granted the power of six mythological heroes and gods: the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aton, and the courage of Mehen. What’s that spell? That’s right, Shazam…who takes his powers from six Different mythological heroes and gods.

Black Adam has been a thorn in the Shazam Family‘s side since 1945, and Johnson has long been attached to play the character. After years of false starts, the movie is finally on its way,...

Veteran French animation producer Aton Soumache and renowned comicbook artist-turned-filmmaker Joann Sfar (“The Rabbi’s Cat”) are launching Magical Society in the run up to the online Annecy Animation Film Festival.

The Paris-based mini-studio is already boasting a slate of a dozen ambitious animation, hybrid and live action projects in various stages of development, with about 30 topnotch international creative talents attached, notably Leo Sanchez Barbosa, the character designer of “How to Train Your Dragon,” and Viktor Antonov.

Magical Society is a rebranded company stemming from Sfar’s production vehicle Nice Pictures, which was acquired last year by Soumache’s Mediawan-backed On Entertainment. Sfar’s latest animated feature “Little Vampire” is part of the official selection of Annecy’s online film festival.

The outfit’s roster of titles includes the series “Monsieur Crocodile,” “Monsters’ Shrink,” the 3D animated feature “La chanson du Renart” (“The Fox’s Song”), as well as a hybrid...