We’ve had a few looks at the Shazam! costume from the upcoming movie but this is by far the best one yet…
The new image (Above) has Zachary Levi as the superhero in director David F. Sandberg’s upcoming DC movie and in the imagee Shazam! is drinking copious amounts of cola with his friend Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer). Why? Well, Shazam! is actually a young boy called Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel) who becomes the only man in the DC Universe who can match Superman blow-for-blow.
And, can we just say… that costume looks so damn good! Everything about it has just come from the pages of the comics and honestly, it makes us so happy.
In other Shazam! news, MCU and Fast & Furious star Djimon Hounsou is playing the sorcerer who gives young Billy Batson the ability to turn into a superhero in the movie.
This is interesting for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, Hounsou is playing returning character Korath the Pursuer in Captain Marvel and, since Shazam! is the original Captain Marvel (Google is your friend), that technically means he’s starring in two Captain Marvel movies next year!
Secondly, This Is Us actor Ron Cephas Jones was previously playing The Sorcerer in the movie but dues to scheduling he had to pull out to be replaced by Hounsou.
Hounsou also played the Kree mercenary Korath the Pursuer in Guardians of the Galaxy as well as the upcoming Captain Marvel — so he’s pulling off the rare feat of having significant roles in both the Marvel and DC universe at the same time.
Previously, This Is Us actor Ron Cephas Jones was widely reported as likely getting the Shazam! role, but that didn’t end up happening due to a scheduling conflict.
This news means that Hounsou has already filmed his role as the movie has finished filming – so the studio kept it all quiet. Yay!
Oh, and if you’re hoping for a Shazam! trailer at SDCC next week then read on (continues after instagram post):
That’s Shazam!’s cinematographer Maxime Alexandre confirming that the trailer will arrive at SDCC in July 21st at the DC Panel, so we’re hoping we’ll all have it soon after.
In related news, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has been touring the press circuit for his new movie Skyscraper and German website Film Starts (video embedded below) got to asking about his Black Adam movie – Black Adam is Shazam!’s main enemy but is something of an anti-hero himself – and he seems confident it’s all going to plan and that maybe we might see a cameo or two in it: “Black Adam possibly [filming] at the end of next year. It’s coming along great, the script is coming along great we’re very happy with it.”
When the interviewer mentioned Wonder Woman, he replies: “Without giving anything away, there might be maybe a cameo or two of some of the other DC superheroes. We’ll see. That’s been the beauty of Black Adam as we’ve been developing it is that we could make a movie that just stood on its own too as well, but that’s also the beauty of those universes coming together at DC.”
He also comments on the ‘revamp’ of the DC/Warners universe, hinting that there is a more definite plan for the future of this movie universe.
But before we get the Black Adam movie, Shazam hits theaters on April 5th, 2019.
Production is underway on New Line Cinema’s “Shazam!” David F. Sandberg (“Annabelle: Creation”) directs the origin story, which stars Zachary Levi (TV’s “Chuck”) as the titular DC Super Hero, along with Asher Angel (TV’s “Andi Mack”) as Billy Batson, and Mark Strong (the “Kingsman” movies) in the role of Super-Villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana. Peter Safran (upcoming “Aquaman,” “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle” films) serves as the film’s producer.
We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).
“Shazam!” also stars Jack Dylan Grazer (“IT”) as Billy’s best friend and ultimate superhero enthusiast, Freddy, part of the foster family that includes Mary, played by Grace Fulton (“Annabelle: Creation”); Darla, played by Faithe Herman (TV’s “This is Us”); Eugene, played by Ian Chen (TV’s “Fresh Off the Boat”); and Pedro, played by Jovan Armand (TV’s “Hawaii Five-O”). Cooper Andrews (TV’s “The Walking Dead”) and Marta Milans (TV’s “Killer Women”) play foster parents Victor and Rosa Vasquez, with Ron Cephas Jones (“This is Us”) as the Wizard.
Christopher Godsick, Jeffrey Chernov, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia are serving as executive producers.
Sandberg’s creative team includes his “Annabelle: Creation” director of photography Maxime Alexandre, production designer Jennifer Spence, editor Michel Aller and costume designer Leah Butler.
Set primarily in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, principal photography for the film is taking place in Toronto.
Firmly set in the DC universe but with his own distinctly fun, family-centric tone, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics in 1940 and was created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck.
A New Line Cinema production, “Shazam!” is set for release on April 5, 2019. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
Source: EW
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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