Warner Bros.' next DCEU project,Shazam!has already been confirmed for anearly 2018 shoot in Toronto, most likely at Pinewood Studios, with filming set to begin on February 5. It seems filming may be starting earlier than expected, withShazamstar Zachary Levi recently revealing in a live Instagram video that he’s heading to Toronto soon to start filming onShazam!, although he didn’t announce an exact start date. Here’s what the actor had to say in a portion of his live video that was posted yesterday.
“We’re going to Toronto. We’re going to Toronto to make a little movie calledShazam!. That’s what’s up.”
While the actor didn’t reveal much about the story, casting is still very much under way, withAsher Angel playing Billy Batson, the young boy who can transform intoShazam!(Zachary Levi) by simply uttering his name. Jack Dylan Grazer has also recently come aboard as Freddy Freeman, with Grace Fulton playing Mary Batson, Billy’s twin sister, Ian Chen playing Eugene Choi and Jovan Armand playing Pedro Pena. It is believed that this story is based on the New 52 comics, since all of these characters lived at the same foster home, lead by Victor Vasquez, played by Cooper Andrews, with David J. MacNeil playing Mr. Bryer, who was Victor Vasquez’s chief rival in the comics.
This New 52 comics story line was set in Philadelphia, but, while filming is scheduled to take place in Toronto, it ultimately isn’t clear where the story is actually set. Zachary Levi has been talking about this project quite a bit, though, comparing the project to the Tom Hanks classicBig, with characters who have super powers, in one interview, while also callingShazam!theDCEU’s answer to Guardians of the Galaxyin another interview. The actor’s enthusiasm for the project cannot be denied, although it remains to be seen if that enthusiasm will translate into a big hit for the DCEU, one they certainly could use.
There were also rumors last month thatShazam director David F. Sandberghad been fired from the project, although the director shot down these rumors in a humorous fashion by addressing them on social media. The director is still very much attached to the project, working from a script by Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke, with Peter Safran producing and Jeffrey Chernov executive producing. It remains unclear how many more major roles are still left to be cast inShazam!at this time.
When the project was in early stages of development,Black Adamwas set to be the villain, with Dwayne Johnson coming aboard early on to portray the villain. The studio ultimately decided to give Black Adam his own movie, with Dwayne Johnson teasing that there could be a surprise introduction for this DCEU character at some point in the near future. While we wait for more onShazam!, take a look at this brief portion of Zachary Levi’s live Instagram video, courtesy ofFlashCyborg Twitter.
