'Shazam' Updates: Director Teases More Names to Join Upcoming Movie's Cast of Characters
While there were rumors last month claiming that the fate of the live-action "Shazam" was in limbo due to the disappointing box-office performance of "Justice League," David Sandberg, the upcoming movie's director, has suggested that there is no stopping the movie from happening as he teases his social media followers of the movie casting.
Sandberg recently posted on his Instagram a photo of 74 boxes pinned to a corkboard -- of which 71 are still covered with question marks. As the photo only shows Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, and Jack Dylan Grazer, it is apparent that 71 more names are expected to be revealed soon to join the cast of the movie.
To recall, it was in October when Levi was announced to have bagged the titular role, which was followed by the announcement that Angel will be playing the role of the alter-ego Levi's character, Billy Batson. This week, it was announced that Grazer, who starred in the horror blockbuster "It," is joining the movie, too, as Billy Batson's best friend, Freddy Freeman, who is the only person who knows the secret of Shazam's alter-ego.
To the uninitiated, Shazam is a DC superhero who comes to being whenever Billy Batson shouts the word "Shazam," which is an acronym formed from names of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury.
Although Black Adam (to be played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in a solo movie) is the most popular nemesis of Shazam, rumors claim that the movie will feature Mark Sivana as its villain and will, reportedly, be played by Mark Strong, who also played the villain Sinestro in the 2011 "Green Lantern" movie that featured Ryan Reynolds in the titular role. However, this shall be taken with a grain of salt for now as no official announcement has been made.
"Shazam" has been reported to begin its principal photography in February 2018 and is slated for an April 2019 release.
