Say the Magic Word and We'll Tell You Everything You Need to Know About DC's Shazam!

Updated on 7/15/2018 at 9:15 AM

There's a new superhero joining the DC Extended Universe, and he's bringing a little magic along with him. After several years in development, DC is officially bringing Shazam! to the big screen, with Chuck star Zachary Levi playing the title character.

Shazam! tells the story of Billy Batson, a young boy who is able to transform into a grown-up superhero with the powers of six ancient heroes by saying a magic word. The film originally began development in the early 00's with Peter Segal tapped to direct and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in talks to appear as Black Adam. However, creative differences stalled the project until 2014. The new iteration of the film didn't go into official preproduction until 2017. DC has since decided to film a separate Black Adam movie with Johnson, which means he won't appear in the first film, and cast Zachary Levi for Shazam!. Production for the movie ended in May 2018, and it's set to premiere in theaters on April 5, 2019!

We've rounded up all the available details about the Shazam! movie for you below, but stay tuned for any updates as we get closer to the release!

The Story

Shazam! won't be straying too far from it's original source. In the film, Billy Batson is a 14-year-old foster kid who is granted powers by an ancient wizard. By calling out the word "SHAZAM," he's able to transform into an adult super hero with godlike powers. The official synopsis from Warner Bros. states that, "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."

The Cast

Levi portrays the title character, who is the adult-superhero version of Billy Baston. The teen version of Billy will be played by Disney Channel star Asher Angel. The two are joined by It's Jack Dylan Grazer, playing Billy's foster brother, best friend, and an "ultimate superhero enthusiast." Grace Fulton, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, and Jovan Armand play other members of Billy and Jack's foster family, with Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans portraying their foster parents. Djimon Hounsou replaces Ron Cephas Jones The Wizard, a magical being who bestows Billy with his abilities, while Kingsman actor Mark Strong plays Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, the sinister villain Shazam must defeat in the movie. 13 Reasons Why actor Ross Butler has also been cast, but his role has been kept under wraps so far.

The Production Team

Annabelle: Creation director David Sandberg is at the helm of Shazam!, with the script penned by writers Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke.