Shazam set for next DC Films production, eyeing 2019 release date
The Hollywood Reporter brings word that DC Films have set their sights on their next film production and it will harness the wisdom of Soloman, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. Yes, the next DC Films movie will be Shazam!
Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation director David F. Sandberg is set to step behind the camera for the film, with Peter Safran set to produce. Jack the Giant Slayer scribe Darren Lemke previously penned the script for Shazam, which also previously had an April 5, 2019 release date, though it remains to be seen if it will hold that date. Should the film arrive that April, however, it will debut just a month before Marvel’s Untitled Avengers 4.
Dwayne Johnson will not appear as the villain Black Adam in the film and is developing a solo film for the anti-hero as a separate project. Without Black Adam, the most well known villain for the hero, there aren’t many villains left for Shazam to tussle with. One potential replacement villain could be Doctor Sivana, who made his debut with the hero in Whiz Comics #2 in 1940.
As for the rest of the DC Films slate, cameras are already rolling on Aquaman, with Justice League in the midst of post-production and reshoots (with new director Joss Whedon still developing a Batgirl film that won’t see much progress until after Justice League‘s release). Development is also underway for The Batman, sequels to Wonder Woman and Suicide Squad, as well as Gotham City Sirens.
Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, Shazam first appeared in Fawcett Comics’ Whiz Comics #2. By saying the world “Shazam,” teenager Billy Batson was transformed into the “world’s mightiest mortal” and given extraordinary abilities by ancient gods. Originally known as Captain Marvel, legal disputes between DC and Marvel comics over the decades led to the hero receiving an official name change in 2011.
