The runaway success of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy has seemed to present somewhat of a conundrum for Warner Bros. and DC Comics Entertainment. Just a few weeks ago there was word of a strict mandate being handed down by the studio of a“no jokes” policy when it comes to their DC superhero film properties. Their upcoming Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice apparently strikes the same dark tone that was set forth in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy and was also evident in Man of Steel. Both movies took their comic book heroes and villains and presented them in a backdrop of modern day authenticity that posited the notion that these stories were ground in a sincere reality as to give them a sense of gravitas and world-weary burden.

You see, DC attempted a superhero movie with “jokes”. That movie was Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern, a film that featured a wise-cracking Ryan Reynolds flying around with a ring that could concoct anything his character could conjure in his mind. The movie tanked. Hard. It’s also not very good. Unfortunately, DC thought they had the next Iron Man on their hands, a B-list character with a flair for snark who did seemingly cool stuff…and with aliens, to boot.

Since the failure of Green Lantern, DC’s films have stayed grim, unyielding, with story-lines that seemed to echo the real-life scenarios that were splashed across the pages of our national newspapers more so than those in comic books.

Marvel, on the other hand, has managed to bring levity to their wildly popular franchises. Iron Man, Thor, even Captain America have taken a somewhat lighter tone even if the stories themselves take place in the real world. The Avengers movie married humor, menace, and mayhem (not to mention full scale destruction of cinema’s favorite whipping post, New York City). Audiences flocked to the superhero super team-up spectacular because some critics felt it offered a respite from the gloom of Gotham City and its crazy denizens, none more nutty than the Bat himself, perhaps. Now with Guardians of the Galaxy changing the game again, and doing so in what you could easily say was Green Lantern’s turf – deep space, Warners/DC appear to behind the eight-ball once more.

There’s no doubt the Superman/Batman brouhaha next April is going to be one of the biggest films of the year, if not the decade. But that’s the problem: if there’s no Batman, there’s no box office. Dawn of Justice is supposed to be a sequel to Man of Steel, but not only does Batman get top billing, but Superman is hardly even mentioned in conversation about the picture, even as the studio adds more characters, from Wonder Woman to Aquaman, in a bid to align the Justice League once and for all.

Then amidst all of this clamor, another name has been hinted at, whispered, and teased by one man: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. That name was Black Adam. You may not be as well-versed about the character, but he’s Shazam’s arch-enemy. Shazam is another DC character that is popular among those in the know. He’s not as mainstream as Batman or Superman, but he’s been around just as long. For months, maybe even years now, there was speculation that The Rock would be playing one of these characters. The speculation is now fact: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is going to be Black Adam.

But there were a few other details that emerged: the Shazam! film would be a standalone picture, separated from the rest of the DC Universe. The movie isn’t even going to be from Warners, but their subsidiary, New Line Cinema. Toby Emmerich, president of New Line, offered up some interesting tidbits about the film.

“It feels to me like Shazam will have a tone unto itself. It’s a DC comic, but it’s not a Justice League character, and it’s not a Marvel comic. The tone and the feeling of the movie will be different from the other range of comic book movies.”

What’s more, Emmerich seems to going along with the notion that the Black Adam character would appear in the film in a form more akin to his current anti-hero incarnation in the recent comics. “Black Adam is a complex character. The villain in superhero movies is often, I think, what makes the movie,” said Emmerich. “And I thought Dwayne’s take on the character, and the way that he saw Black Adam, was really compelling and fun.”

This sure sounds like it falls in line with the tone of Marvel’s recent string of successes. So what’s the plan then, Warner Bros will release the solemn, sober DC superhero films and New Line will release the edgy, humorous titles? But Emmerich is saying that Shazam! wouldn’t even be connected to the DC Universe at all.

Perhaps this clears up the thinking behind the “no jokes” mandate. If Shazam isn’t part of Batman’s world, he can be fun and humorous. But maybe that’s just what Batman needs, a little levity.

Time will tell, of course. Warners/DC has announced a slate of films that stretch into the next decade, with Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice coming in April 2015.

There is no set date yet for Shazam!