Fandoms. Movie franchises and stars need them, in order to make sure their work is seen by and spread to the largest possible audience. They are the people who turn up for panels at conventions, spend a lot of money to cosplay as your character, and even wage online social media campaigns to get the original cut of your superhero movie released. OK, that’s basically just the Zack Snyder fandom. But there can be a downside to fandom as well, because everyone has an opinion, and they aren’t always going to be positive. So when Shazam star Jack Dylan Grazer opened up about his experience with the DC Comics fandom, he showered them with praise… while casting a little shade at another opinionated fandom.
Jack Dylan Grazer’s only 19, but he already has some impressive film credits on his resume. He’s likely best known for playing Freddy Freeman in the original Shazam and its upcoming sequel, Shazam: Fury of the Gods. But he also played a pivotal role in the two-part film adaptation of Stephen King’s IT. Grazer played the younger version of Eddie Kaspbrak, a momma’s boy who’s babied (and thinks he’s fragile) but comes through in the clutch when The Losers Club states down Pennywise the Clown. I can’t watch this scene without suffering severe trauma, still to this day.
“Time to float!” No thank you, Mr. Pennywise, sir. Jack Dylan Grazer returned for IT: Chapter Two, even though other actors came on board to play the older version of The Losers Club. During a recent conversation with Grazer about his experience with DC fans, however, he suggested that he might have experienced some blowback from dedicated Stephen King readers, as he told CinemaBlend his opinion on comic-book junkies:
They’re dedicated. And they’re great. And they are very kind. More kind than Stephen King fans, I’ll tell you that much. … Stephen King fans, they lean a little bit more to the angry side. Well, maybe that’s not true. They’re also nice and nerdy, and I gel with most every nerd. And I love passion, being a nerd myself.
To be honest, it was a surprise to hear that Jack Dylan Grazer might have received any flak from Stephen King fans over his contributions to IT. The kids who were cast as The Losers Club in the adaptation generally were very well received, because the casting for the important roles was spot on. And even when the adults cast was added – including James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader – fans seemed to be into the choices made by director Andy Muschietti. So I wonder, personally, where that “angry side” made itself known to Jack Dylan Grazer. Or, maybe he just had a better experience with DC fans? Anything is possible.
The next Shazam movie opens in theaters on March 17. It’s the latest in a string of upcoming DC Films, which are building up to a new world of DC stories that will be presided over by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Keep it here while we continue to track all of those films.
