With everyone focused on the Justice League movie and looking towards Joker and Batgirl for standalone adventures, it’s easy to forget that a young boy is set to become the world’s greatest hero… Shazam!
Yes, we’re three days into the movie’s pre-production (you can check out director David Sandberg’s chronicling of the time passing below) and still no word on who will be starring.
We know that Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Black Adam will not be appearing in the first movie (here), we also know that the movie will not use CGI to have the character change from young boy Billy Bathson to Superhero Shazam! (here) and we’ve heard numerous times that actor Alan Ritchson is the current favourite to play the hero part of the character (here).
But what we don’t know is just who will play young Billy Batson, the boy who becomes a hero that can fight Superman to a standstill wham he utters the magic word, ‘Shazam!’.
According to a new report though, this is being made a priority by Warners/DC:
Casting on Warner’s “Shazam” began last week, with a wide casting call alerting agents of young actors large and small (yep, seems Warner are taking a cue from the new “Star Wars” flicks here and are opening themselves up the possibility that their lead might be an unknown) that the Billy Batson role is a hole that needs to be clogged. The Henry Gayden script, which has a beautifully balanced tone of superhero adventure antics and welcome humor, much in the same way both “Ant-Man” and “Spider-Man : Homecoming” did, will be an amazing showcase for a tween thesp. The cheeky dialogue, the likeable nature and Batson’s crucial emotional arc will likely make that chosen actor’s career. David F.Sanberg will likely be spoilt for choice here.
A few other details are that, despite Black Adam’s absence, we will see Victor and Rosa, Eugene, Freddy and Pedro along with The Wizard. Oh, and we’re hearing there’s a very emotional scene involving Billy’s mum.
Oh, and we’re also hearing that the script has a great blend of adventure and comedy and will also see itself altered by the events of the panned Flashpoint movie, although exactly how that will be is under wraps at the minute.
As for Adam? Well, we’re still hearing that we may see him first appear in Man Of Steel 2 (here).
Exciting times.
We’d expect to hear big casting news at some stage in September.
Source: Moviehole
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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