Shazam! (2019)

[MarkHB]

Quote

We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), 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 (Strong).

Cast:

Zachary Levi: Shazam (aka Captain Marvel)

Mark Strong: Dr. Thaddeus Sivana

Asher Angel: Billy Batson

Jack Dylan Grazer: Freddy Freeman

Djimon Hounsou: The Wizard

Grace Fulton: Mary Bromfield

Ian Chen: Eugene

Jovan Armand: Pedro

Cooper Andrews: The guy who runs the orphanage group home

 

Directed by David F. Sandberg

Release date: April 5, 2019

[JessePinkman]

The movie's release date was announced today, it's April 5, 2019.

And here is the logo:

And the plot synopsis that was released last month.

“We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Asher Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Zachary Levi), 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 (Mark Strong).”

[Matt K]

It has the possibility of being decent but like all DC movies, I'll take a wait and see approach.  I'm not sure about Zach Levi as Shazam (is the wizard also going to be Shazam?).  He was okay in Thor 2 but some of the other things I've seen him in weren't great.  Also it sounds like it's trying to be Spiderman: Homecoming which will draw criticism if it isn't as good.  Plus I don't really trust the writer/director team, especially the writer who's worked on virtually nothing good.

 

Also btw, Kazaam was the movie with Shaq. There's an internet rumor that there was a Sinbad movie called Shazaam (which was apparently debunked).  

Edited March 20, 2018 by Matt K

[JessePinkman]

I swear I looked for the topic. Thanks, @MarkHB!

[Morrigan2575]

3 hours ago, Matt K said:

Also btw, Kazaam was the movie with Shaq. There's an internet rumor that there was a Sinbad movie called Shazaam (which was apparently debunked).  

Which was actually made part of an X-Files episode earlier this season.

[SnoGirl]

Soooooo Chuck 2.0? Throw in a hairy short sidekick with awkward social interactions and you have a Morgan. Or is this Big with super powers?

[MarkHB]

2 hours ago, JessePinkman said:

I swear I looked for the topic. Thanks, @MarkHB!

You're welcome. I had it in a secret longbox. :)

[MarkHB]

1 hour ago, SnoGirl said:

Or is this Big with super powers?

It's that :)

[Bruinsfan]

That's how Levi has described it.

[MarkHB]

[Vermicious Knid]

I still think of him as Captain Marvel. Also, his nickname for many, many years was The Big Red Cheese.

Sadly, the movie will not feature a talking tiger or an evil caterpillar.

...No seriously, google it.

[MarkHB]

I'm expecting the evil caterpillar to show up in Flashpoint ;).

[MarkHB]

Ron Cephas Jones had a scheduling conflict, Djimon Hounsou is now playing The Wizard.

Plus, there's a good chance that we'll see a teaser trailer at the WB SDCC presentation on the 21st.

[BetterButter]

[Jediknight]

To anybody questioning if Zachary Levi was the perfect choice for this role, just watch this trailer.  He's without a doubt the perfect choice.  So, don't freak out.

[WritinMan]

Now this looks like a lot of fun!

[AimingforYoko]

1 hour ago, BetterButter said:

Big + Greatest American Hero = Shazam!

[Spartan Girl]

It DOES look like fun! It would be nice to have one male DC movie that doesn't suck.

[Morrigan2575]

This looks so stupid

[Bill1978]

I am sold. Well until another trailer comes along and unsells me perhaps. This could be the DC equivalent of Ant-Man. A nice frivolous humourous superhero movie.

[Shannon L.]

It looks cute.  Maybe I'll see it on $5 Tuesday. 

Edited July 21, 2018 by Shannon L.

[Trini]

12 hours ago, Jediknight said:

To anybody questioning if Zachary Levi was the perfect choice for this role, just watch this trailer.  He's without a doubt the perfect choice.  So, don't freak out.

The griping when he was cast was so annoying! Anyone who watched Chuck should have known that he's GOT this. If anything about this sucks, it's not going to be Levi.

Anyway, the trailer was funny, and I'm looking forward to it!

[Robert Lynch]

Eddie from It! 

[DollEyes]

He had me at "Don't Scream!"

Edited July 22, 2018 by DollEyes

[Trini]

Wait - this isn't out until April? It seems to be set around Christmas. And I was thinking that the holidays would be the perfect time to release this, when all the kids are out of school. But Aquaman is coming out then.

[Trini]

I'm sure there are plenty of Comic-Con interviews, but here's one: AKA, Zachary Levi, actual man-child -

[MarkHB]

Speaking of man-children, here's the pinned post on David Sandberg's Twitter (@ponysmasher). I think I love it just because it's so deranged.

[Trini]

Forgot we had a thread for this already!

Zachary Levi talks Shazam:

[SimoneS]

I had never heard of Shazam before, but I liked Zachary Levi in Chuck. He has great comedic timing.

[Trini]

'Geoff Johns explains why he wanted to give Shazam a bigger spotlight on both page and screen' - interview and comic preview.

[MarkHB]

New teaser!

[Trini]

Ha! I see they've got more special effects completed. I don't know how they do it in the comics, but I'm liking the lightning strike transformation.

[Trini]

Now set visit reports are being released: 'How Shazam Will Use Childlike Wonder to Set It Apart From the Superhero Pack'

[tennisgurl]

DC should really focus on movies like this: Unique stories focusing on just one hero and their rogues and supporting cast. They're at their best when they just set out to tell a single story, and at their worst when they try to copy Marvel and tell about a billion stories with a trillion characters in just one chopped up film. 

[Trini]

New featurette with some new BTS footage and interview clips:

[MarkHB]

The official film site has released the credits: it's officially PG-13 for "Intense sequences of action, language and suggestive material," and there are 10 - count 'em - 10 Executive Producers including Dwayne Johnson!

[Kromm]

First DC movie (out OR announced) since Wonder Woman I've given two shts about. 

[IWantCandy71]

This looks like a fun movie. I vaguely remember watching reruns/syndication of the old TV show, or was it a cartoon ? I can't remember now. I don't know if I'll go to see it in the theater, but I do like the casting. Zachary Levi is charming, and Mark Strong is fun to watch, even if he is too often typecast as the same type of villain over and over.

TBH I'm over the whole superhero craze and have been for years. From the trailers however, I don't think this version will have that self righteous main character syndrome that pretty much all the other ones do, that turns me off so badly.

There is an old small town dollar theater near me, and maybe I'll see it there ? IDK. It's a family movie though-one that kids and parents and grandparents can go see, so I fully expect it to make a ton of money, deservedly or not.

[AimingforYoko]

24 minutes ago, IWantCandy71 said:

This looks like a fun movie. I vaguely remember watching reruns/syndication of the old TV show, or was it a cartoon?

It was live action, it was paired with a show about a heroine based on the Egyptian goddess Isis. It was called the Shazam/Isis Hour.

On a personal note, the actress who p!ayed Isis, along with Diedre Hall as Electra-Woman, confirmed my sexual orientation.

[Dandesun]

28 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

It was live action, it was paired with a show about a heroine based on the Egyptian goddess Isis. It was called the Shazam/Isis Hour.

On a personal note, the actress who p!ayed Isis, along with Diedre Hall as Electra-Woman, confirmed my sexual orientation.

I totally watched this in the mid-70s when I was a very wee Dande.

I didn’t realize that Shazam was actually called Captain Marvel until decades later. But I do remember the Winnebago.

Also, I absolutely wanted to be Isis. She was a magical librarian who fought crime with a pendant on her forehead!! Tiny me was in awe.

[IWantCandy71]

7 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

It was live action, it was paired with a show about a heroine based on the Egyptian goddess Isis. It was called the Shazam/Isis Hour.

Okay thank you ! Was I dreaming the cartoon then? Oh well. And I loved Electra Woman and Dynagirl. Cheesy 70's kid shows FTW.

Edited February 28, 2019 by IWantCandy71

[AimingforYoko]

9 hours ago, Dandesun said:

But I do remember the Winnebago.

Ah, the '70s were a different time. I wonder if a teen-aged boy traveling around in a Winnebago with an older gentleman calling himself 'Mentor' would raise any eyebrows today?

[Bill1978]

12 hours ago, IWantCandy71 said:

Okay thank you ! Was I dreaming the cartoon then?

I remember a cartoon where a boy and girl would combined their rings and shout SHAZAM! and a hero appeared. Is that the same Shazam as this character? 

[MarkHB]

2 hours ago, Bill1978 said:

I remember a cartoon where a boy and girl would combined their rings and shout SHAZAM! and a hero appeared. Is that the same Shazam as this character? 

I believe you're thinking of the Wonder Twins, and the cry "Wonder Twin powers, Activate!"  They have a new comic coming out!

But speaking of the old show, I really hope they made room for a Michael Gray cameo (Billy from the old days).

[IWantCandy71]

One of my nieces and I have a thing we do that is very similar to the "wonder twins". She of course didn't know what it meant and has never seen the show, but once I explained it, she thinks it's cool.

That whole thing about the cartoon though is going to drive me crazy because I could have sworn there was one once. But then, in the late seventies on a Saturday morning, fueled by bacon and pancakes and watching Super Friends, I could just be mixing it up with the 187 cartoons I watched back then.

[MarkHB]

For those of you who subscribe to DC Universe (or who live in the USA and might be tempted...)

[Bill1978]

7 hours ago, MarkHB said:

I believe you're thinking of the Wonder Twins, and the cry "Wonder Twin powers, Activate!" 

Wow, this is probably my first experience of a Mandela Effect cause I could have sworn they said Shazam! I would have bet my life on it, luckily I didn't!

[Trini]

New trailer!

Weird song choice, though.

Edited March 4, 2019 by Trini

[Trini]

Q&A:

[dkb]

This looks like a lot of fun! And I will love looking out for Toronto landmarks as it was filmed here.