New Line Cinema has officially announced the start of production on the upcoming DC film, which has David F. Sanberg as director and stars Zachary Levi as the titular superhero.
- Feb 6, 2018
AceShowbiz - DC and New Line Cinema have announced that they've begun production on "Shazam!". Along with the announcement, the studios have revealed the official synopsis and the full cast list of the upcoming superhero movie, which has David F. Sanberg on board as director and stars Zachary Levi in the title role.
Asher Angel portrays young Billy Batson. Billy's foster family will consist of Jack Dylan Grazer ("It") as Freddy, Grace Fulton ("Annabelle: Creation") as Mary, Faithe Herman ("This Is Us") as Darla, Ian Chen ("Fresh Off The Boat") as Eugene, and Jovan Armand ("Hawaii Five-0") as Pedro. Cooper Andrews ("The Walking Dead") and Marta Milans ("Killer Women") will appear as Billy's foster parents, Victor and Rosa Vasquez, while Ron Cephas Jones ("This Is Us") will be featured as the Wizard. Mark Strong ("Kingsman: The Golden Circle") is tapped as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana.
There's no mention of Dwayne Johsnon a.k.a. The Rock as Black Adam, but the "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" star is listed as an executive producer along with Christopher Godsick, Jeffrey Chernov, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia. Sanberg's creative team includes his "Annabelle: Creation" director of photography Maxime Alexandre, production designer Jennifer Spence, editor Michel Aller and costume designer Leah Butler.
The detailed plot synopsis reads, "We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson's case, by shouting out one word--SHAZAM!--this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam, courtesy of an ancient wizard.Still a kid at heart--inside a ripped, godlike body--Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he'll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana."
Set primarily in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, principal photography for the film is taking place in Toronto. Written by Darren Lemke and Henry Gayden, "Shazam!" is set for an April 5, 2019 release in the United States. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
