When Shazam! hit theaters earlier this year, it was met with widespread acclaim as one of the best films in the DCEU. Having the film be well received surely made Billy Batson actor Asher Angel feel good, but there was one review in particular that meant a lot to the young star: The Rock’s. In an exclusive interview with CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell at San Diego Comic-Con, Asher Angel spoke about what having the superstar’s approval meant to him, saying:
The Rock was insane. I mean, it’s a huge inspiration. He was a producer on the movie, and it was insane hearing that from him. That was something really special for me.
Hey, if the biggest movie star in the world likes you and your movie, you’re probably doing something right. It sounds like Asher Angel wasn’t necessarily expecting to hear from The Rock, so he was stoked and touched when he did. The Rock’s review had to be incredibly cool for Asher Angel, and it is the kind of thing that will stay with the actor for a long time.
You can easily see how Dwayne Johnson’s approval of Shazam! would mean a lot to a young actor like Asher Angel. The Rock was a producer on Shazam! so on a professional level, Asher Angel wanted him to like the film and him. But also on a personal level, The Rock has the kind of career any actor would dream of and his thumbs up had to be a big deal for Asher Angel.
Asher Angel also admitted that his family’s positive reviews of Shazam! meant a lot to him because they are his support system, but The Rock is The Rock. He’s a hugely motivating and inspiring figure and as Asher Angel told Sean, his approval was both special and inspiring.
Of course, the niceties between Asher Angel and Dwayne Johnson may not last much longer. Dwayne Johnson is set to play Shazam’s nemesis Black Adam in a standalone film about the villain to be directed by The Shallows’ Jaume Collet-Serra. The Rock is already playing up their future battle too, as Asher Angel continued:
He pointed it out at the MTV Awards. When Zach was onstage hosting, he was giving us both the stink eye. It was kinda scary.
The Rock is a very large person to be getting the stink eye from so I can see where that might be a bit scary. It’s going to get even scarier though when Asher Angel has to face off with The Rock in a DC movie down the line. At that point he’ll just have to remember The Rock actually likes him and then shout ‘Shazam!’ and go tag in Zachary Levi.
As far as when that will happen we don’t yet know. While many DC projects have died on the vine, Black Adam is still supposed to happen, but there seems to be no major rush, especially with The Rock’s absurdly busy schedule. With Jaume Collet-Serra attached to direct, things at least seem to be moving forward. Zachary Levi has said that he expects to film the Shazam! sequel sometime next year, but the hero may not face off with Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam until Shazam! 3.
You can check out Sean’s entire conversation with Asher Angel, where they discuss this, the Shazam! Blu-ray, Easter eggs and more in the video below:
Shazam! is now out on Blu-ray, digital and Ultra HD 4K. Check out our premiere guide for all this year’s biggest movies and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest DC movie news.
