Shazam! (2019)

[todd s]

Title: Shazam! (2019)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Director: David F. Sandberg

Cast: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Djimon Hounsou, Faithe Herman, Meagan Good, Grace Fulton, Michelle Borth, Ian Chen, Ross Butler, Jovan Armand, D.J. Cotrona, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews, Ethan Pugiotto, John Glover, Landon Doak, Wayne Ward, Paul Braunstein, Nadine Roden, David Kohlsmith, Caroline Palmer, Emily Nixon, Carson MacCormac, Lotta Losten, Andi Osho, Natalia Safran, David J. MacNeil, Lou Lou Safran, Ava Preston, Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz, Ali Badshah, Simon Northwood, Lovina Yavari, Rachel Boyd, Jim Pagiamtzis, Raul Torres, Jhaleil Swaby, Jackson Reid, Bryce Arden Poe, Tosh Robertson, Pearl Ho, Cassandra Ebner, Stephanie Hawkins, Angelica Lisk-Hann, Jesse Bond, Harper Gunn, Evan Marsh, Kerri Kamara, Leon Oliveira Martins, Nilce Moretto, David F. Sandberg, Ryan Handley

Release: 2019-04-05

Plot: 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 superhero 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 Doctor Thaddeus Sivana.

DC's superhero Shazam (Captain Marvel) is coming to the big screen. This is from the Hollywood Reporter.


A couple of questions though....

-I am sure they waited to get Superman out.
-How will the movie be? Comedy or serious?
-Surprised New Line is doing it and not Warner. I believe Warner owns New Line. But, I am still surprised they would do it.

Now who do you cast?

-Patrick Warburton (but, he is getting up their in age, especially if they plan on doing sequels.

-Evan Marriott (Joe Millionaire) Got the look, but can he act?

 

[Greg_S_H]

I'd cast Shaquille O'Neal!

Never mind. I'm thinking of Kazaam. I didn't want to think about Kazaam.

 

[JoSAN]

.

 

[Ray H]

Sounds like it'll be a comedy (I'm going off their choice of director).

Patrick Warburton would be perfect.

 

[Patrick Sun]

For Billy Batson, you could go with Logan Lerman (Bobby from "Jack and Bobby" on the WB last year, and the upcoming film "Hoot") or Carter Jenkins (Miles from "Surface on NBC this season).

For Captain Marvel, you could go with Tom Welling (how about that for inspired casting?) or Adam Baldwin, or Matthew MacFayden (Mr. Darcy on "Pride and Prejudice").

 

[Andy Sheets]

I just can't see Hollywood getting this movie right. It takes a very specific blend of superheroic action and whimsical, child-like humor and hardly anyone's managed that since the 1950's.

 

[Jack Briggs]

JoSAN's post has very good (and correct) information. In the original press release Captain Marvel is referred to as a "DC" character, when, in fact, he was very much competition for DC (and, as JoSAN notes, actually outsold Superman).

The reason for the name change to "Shazam" had to do with later realities. Marvel Comics had invented its own "Captain Marvel" in the late 1960s and when DC tried to revive its old nemesis, it had to change the name of the book in which he appeared.

 

[Jordan_E]

After The Longest Yard? No, thanks.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I hope they do this right, as I would love to see Captain Marvel-one of the most whimsical and entertaining of the comic book heroes, and more popular than either Batman or Superman during WWII-regain his rightful place as one of the top Superheroes. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

 

[Norm]

Marvel owns the rights to the Captain Marvel name.

 

[CoreyII]

Well JoSan you have a lot of correct info, but I respectfully disagree with the way you want to see the film go. C.C. Beck's vision of the character was great for the World War II era, but that time is long over and the last thing this potential frachise needs in the era of serious super-hero films is Tawky Tawny the talking tiger or Mr. Mind, the talking worm.

Oh by the way, Marvel is a Superman clone, look no further than the captain's arch nemesis Dr. Thadeus Bodog Sivanna, if that character isn't a Luthor wannabe than I don't know what is. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Captain Marvel, I own the Tom Tyler 1940 serial, and every year I go to the San Diego Comic-Con I pick up a few copies of the 1970's Filmation live action series that starred Jackson Bostwick and then John Davies. Personally I like Bostwick more than Davies ( and yes I'm a big Isis fan).

But I honestly feel that if Supes had never existed there probably wouldn't have been a Batman, let alone Captain Marvel. So let's give credit where credit is due, Superman is the wellspring from which all super-heroes come from, especially Captain Marvel, so the man of steel righteously deserves all the credit he can get. And because Superman is the inspiration for all super-heroes I can understand why D.C.was a little peeved at Fawcett Comics, although I don't know if taking them to court was the best of ideas.

Arguably, Captain Marvel's greatest popularity came from the 70's live action Saturday morning series. Now that's not saying I want to see a 2008 version of Mentor and Billy Batson driving around in a Winnebago on the back roads of California, but there will ultimately be comparisons.

For a new Captain Marvel film to succeed, it is definitely going to have to distinguish itself from Superman and not in a light hearted (ala' C.C. Beck) comedic way either. And if Dr. Sivanna is the main villain, distinguishing Captain Marvel from Superman is going to be that much more difficult. To me, the only villain right now that would be a logical choice is BLACK ADAM, and honestly he should be saved for a potential sequel.

Anyway, I hope this forum doesn't turn into a Captian Marvel vs. Superman forum, they both are great characters, but with Singer's film on the horizon, it's going to really take some clever writing to make Captain Marvel work.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

Sivana actually predates the first appearance of Lex Luthor. Sivana first appeared in WHIZ COMICS #1 in February, 1940; Luthor first appeared in ACTION #23(May, 1940) and had a head of red hair for his first few appearances.

 

[CoreyII]

Hey Larry, I guess according to you and wikipedia, I definitely stand corrected. Thanks for the info. Of course over the years, Lex has far surprassed Sivana in popularity and as far as the general audience at large is concerned they are still going to see Sivana as a rip off of Luthor. Although Sivana pre-dates Luthor by three months one still can't deny Superman's influence on Marvel.

As a matter of fact, as a child one of the reasons I always picked Capt.Marvel as my favorite super-hero was because he was like Supes in many ways but at the same time he was also very different. So many of my friends liked Superman, that I wanted to find someone different but just as powerful. Marvel definitely filled that void. Plus I loved the Saturday morning series. After the show was over, I would tie my grandmother's old scarf around my neck and pretend that I was Captain Marvel.

 

[Norm]

If they go the comedy route count me out.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

That's very true, but that's because Cap's comics were cancelled in the early fifties, and Luthor was given an interesting character arc during the Weisinger era in the comics. Not to mention Luthor was in the sixties cartoons, the Superfriends series, and the tremendously popular Christopher Reeve movies. But I think Sivana is definitely different than Luthor, with his crazy laugh and his weird offspring. The only similarities are that both characters are mad scientists, and are bald.

 

[JoSAN]

.

 

[todd s]

DC just did a 4 issue mini-series that showed the first meeting between Superman & Captain Marvel. In it you can see the difference between them...not including the differences in abilities. What we are shown is that while Cap is an adult. He still has the mind of a young boy....Spoilers for those who don't want to see it.. In the story a hit team sent by Silvana shoots at Billy. While, he is able to transform to Cap and survive. His best friend is hit and subsequently dies. Now, since he caught the bad guys. Most mature thinking heroes would have allowed the police to do their job. Instead, he looses control and breaks into the police department and starts to assualt one of the hitmen until he talks. All infront of shocked police officers. In the end Superman comes and calms him down. And then at the end of the series. Supes (As Clark Kent) comes to talk to Billy as a mentor to try to help.

What I am saying is that you can do a Cap movie that is different from Superman. Yet, not be a comedy or spoof.

 

[JoSAN]

.

 

[todd s]

Also true. But, this story was the first meeting of the two. So Billy was new to his powers and younger. And while he may have wisdom. He is still mentally a child and is not always in control of his emotions. For example when you see some of those kids who are 10 and in college. They may be very smart academically. Socially they can be a bit challenged.

 

[Ruz-El]

"Arguably, Captain Marvel's greatest popularity came from the 70's live action Saturday morning series. Now that's not saying I want to see a 2008 version of Mentor and Billy Batson driving around in a Winnebago on the back roads of California, but there will ultimately be comparisons"

This is my concern. I can totally see them basing the movie on this. While I'm sure this show was awesome in the 70's (I remember comics based on it, as opposed to the actual show, or am I thinking if "The Thing"?), it's just about the last Capt. Marvel movie I'd want to see. But looking at the directors creditentials, this could easilly be the way the movie goes. My reasons:

The Direcors credits (IMDB)
Get Smart (2006) (announced) (attached)
Dealbreaker (2006) (announced)
The Longest Yard (2005)
50 First Dates (2004)
Anger Management (2003)
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)
My Fellow Americans (1996)
Tommy Boy (1995)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)

And this is going to be Newline, as opposed to warners, so it probably wont have the budget required to make a decent flick. It well however have the budget to be a kid friendly (not in a good Capt. Marvel way, but in a "Kazaam" kinda way) mass marketed comedy, most likely self referential to the 70's show, with a few dick jokes to make an unrated DVD.

Not that I want to be too negative or anything, but after hearing rumors of a comedy "Green Lantern" and "Aquaman" films, I can totally see Warners dumping Captain Marvel to the comedy superhero fates, as he's not an iconic DC hero.

I am hoping that this well be done right: a fun superhero movie, that's lighthearted, without making the heroes clowns. It looks like Singers Superman is going to be a little gloomy, "Captain Marvel" would be the perfect counter.