Casting on Warner’s Shazam! is beginning to heat up. And not a moment too soon.
As David F. Sandberg and Co. prepare for a February start in Toronto, today brought word that Mark Strong (Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Green Lantern) has been approached to play the film’s big bad, Doctor Sivana. But the good news doesn’t end there.
In a follow-up report, Variety has now revealed that Grace Fulton (Annabelle: Creation) is in negotiations to star opposite Zachary Levi as one of Billy Batson’s close friends. Further details were not disclosed at this time, though some fans have come to the conclusion that Fulton has been earmarked to play Mary Marvel, the sister of Batson/Captain Marvel.
Chalk that up as innocent conjecture for now. One thing’s for sure, though, after rising to fame within Hollywood’s horror genre, director David F. Sandberg plans to launch a “fun, light-hearted” spin on Billy Batson’s origin story, which first sparked into life during the 1940s.
Since then, the character of Shazam has earned his place in the DC pantheon, and is able to call upon god-like powers – Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury, hence the evocative name – on a whim to battle his enemies. Only Zachary Levi has been confirmed for the project at this time, but with Strong and now Fulton circling, it shouldn’t be long before Sandberg’s cast is prepped and ready for action.
Proving those earlier rumors to be true, filming on Warner’s Shazam! is expected to get going this February ahead of a tentative release in 2019. Sequels to both Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman are also due to take flight within the next 12 months, which means 2019 could prove to be a defining year for the DC Extended Universe.
