While Justice League is all set to hit theaters later this month, Warner Bros. and DC have been hard at work developing future films under their DC Cinematic Universe banner. Aquaman, Wonder Woman 2, and Suicide Squad 2 are on the way, not to mention Shazam!, which will introduce an all-new hero to the DCEU. Zachary Levi was recently cast as the titular Shazam, a good choice which seems to have been met with positivity. That reception hasn't gone unnoticed by Levi, who posted a message to social media revealing how grateful he is to play the good-hearted superhero.
Honored and greatly humbled to be a part of the #dcuniverse by bringing the original Captain Marvel to life. I am beside myself with gratitude, not only for this opportunity, but also the incredible outpouring of love and support from so many of you out there in the world. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in the gym for the rest of forever.
News broke yesterday that Zachary Levi would be stepping into the red tights of Shazam and playing Earth's Mightiest Mortal in the upcoming Shazam! movie. It's a good bit of casting on DC's part, and Levi took the time to issue a statement through his Instagram thanking those who supported him. Levi wrote that he was "honored and greatly humbled" to get the opportunity to play Shazam (who was originally known as Captain Marvel) on the big screen. Shazam! is the next DC film in line for production with an expected start date in early 2018, so Levi is already getting ready to hit the gym.
Casting Zachary Levi as Shazam is an interesting choice from DC. Levi seems to be an excitable and good-natured person, having played roles in such projects as Chuck and Tangled. Shazam is the most pure-hearted character DC, literally being a child who can transform into a superpowered adult, so Levi seems like a good fit to portray that.
Shazam! will be directed by David F. Sandberg with a screenplay penned by Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke. No other cast members have been announced, though, there is a chance we could see Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam. Johnson was cast as Adam sometime ago and while the original plan was to have him debut in the Shazam! movie, word on the street is that he will be getting his own stand-alone film first because, well, he's the Rock.
There is no release date for Shazam! but it will be the next DC Cinematic Universe movie to film, ahead of Flashpoint, Suicide Squad 2, and Joss Whedon's Batgirl. Make sure to stick with CinemaBlend and we'll make sure to keep you updated with all the latest movie news as soon as it's available.
