Dwayne Johnson says he’ll play DC superhero Shazam -- or his nemesis

Dwayne Johnson has a tough decision on his hands: whether to wield the power of the DC Comics superhero Shazam or that of his arch nemesis, Black Adam.

During an appearance in Mexico City to promote his new film, “Hercules,” the 42-year-old action hero said he will play one of the two characters in an upcoming Shazam movie adaptation, according to the Associated Press.

He added, “I am putting my heart and soul and my bones into this role.”

Warner Bros., DC’s parent company, declined to comment on Johnson’s remarks.

Created in 1939, Shazam (originally known as Captain Marvel) is the cape-wearing alter ego of Billy Batson, a boy who becomes 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 of Mercury when he speaks the magic word “Shazam.”

Black Adam is essentially a darker mirror image of Shazam, with equivalent powers and a similar getup, minus the cape.

Although Johnson has played his fair share of good guys, he told the AP he has always been a fan of antiheroes, and he also named Black Adam as one of his favorite DC characters.

Johnson had been attached to to play Black Adam as far back as 2006, when Peter Segal (“Grudge Match,” “Tommy Boy”) was lined up to direct a Shazam movie. That project fell by the wayside, but more recently, Johnson has been heavily teasing his involvement in another crack at it.

In an interview with Total Film in July, Johnson said he was set to play a DC character who has “the power of Superman. He can throw down. Just say the word.” Days later he tweeted an image of Superman, Shazam and Black Adam with the caption, “Someone’s gonna get it.”

If Johnson does end up playing Shazam or Black Adam, he’ll join an expanding DC movie universe that will next appear on screen in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” in 2016, with Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.

Warner Bros. and DC have nine more untitled superhero movies lined up through 2020.

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