Back in January, it was reported that This is Us star Ron Cephas Jones was in talks to play The Wizard in Shazam!, and for months it was assumed that he'd scored the role. However, earlier this week it was revealed that Jones had scheduling conflicts with the World's Mightiest Mortal's upcoming movie, and Djimon Honsou was tapped as Jones' replacement. Honsou was already a comic book movie veteran, having played Korath the Pursuer in Guardians of the Galaxy, but it turns out that the actor has also already shown up in the DC Extended Universe, as he'll be seen later this year as the Fisherman King in Aquaman.
While a character named Fisher King was introduced in the Aquaman book at the start of the Rebirth era as the former leader of N.E.M.O., it appears that Fisherman King is an original character created specifically for the Aquaman movie. You can head over to EW to get your first look at Djimon Honsou's character, who is a green, humanoid fish creature garbed in golden armor, carries a trident and rules over one of the seven kingdoms of Atlantis. In that scene, he is surrounded by the Fisherman Queen (Natalia Safran), Princess (Sophia Forrest) and a royal guard, and they are listening to Patrick Wilson's Orm, who has come to enlist Fisherman King's help in declaring war on the surface world. As executive Peter Safran explained:
After the fall of Atlantis, some of the kingdoms evolved and some devolved. This is one that evolved. This is a kingdom that's primarily artistic and cerebral, with poets and philosophers.
So for those keeping track at home, Djimon Honsou will appear in three comic book movies within the span of five months. First, he'll show up in Aquaman as Fisherman King this December, then he'll reprise Korath in Captain Marvel next March, and then a month after that, he'll play The Wizard in Shazam!, where he'll give the adolescent Billy Batson his amazing abilities. It's quite possible that having seen Honsou's performance in Aquaman, Peter Safran, who is also a producer on Shazam!, thought that he would be a good fit for The Wizard once Ron Cephas Jones had to depart. Interestingly enough, Honsou isn't the only Aquaman actor who has dual roles within the DCEU, as Patrick Wilson made a vocal cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as the President of the United States.
Set after the events of Justice League, Aquaman sees Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry returning to Atlantis to embrace his royal duties. Unfortunately for him, he'll soon have to deal with his half-brother Orm and those who support him wanting to invade the surface after getting fed up with humanity polluting the oceans. Throw in the ruthless mercenary Black Manta causing trouble as well, and even with the help of allies like Mera, Arthur will have a lot on his plate.
Aquaman swims into theaters on December 21, and Shazam! opens on April 5, 2019. If you're interested in learning what other projects are in development for the DCEU, look through our DC movies guide.
