Villain or not, "Black Adam" gets to be the hero of his own movie when Dwayne Johnson is playing him.

New Line has reportedly split the "Shazam!" project it has long in the works into two films. Rather than just having Johnson in a supporting role as the superhero's rival, he'll play the complicated Black Adam in his own film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Apparently, network execs wanted to take advantage of Johnson's surging star power.

The decision makes sense, particularly following a year that saw other unconventional heroes emerge, including in "Deadpool" and "Suicide Squad." Black Adam will have his chance to do good, while still being a bad guy of sorts. We don't know any plot details yet, though, because the project doesn't have a writer or filmmaker attached yet.

In the DC Comics stories, Black Adam battles Shazam, a superhero originally known as Captain Marvel. Although once very villainous, Black Adam has started to become more of an antihero. It sounds like he may get a chance to redeem himself on the big screen.

[via: THR]