Shazam! is shaping up to be a huge love letter to DC’s long screen history. Previous promo images and the first trailer revealed that it’ll reference prior DCEU movies such as Man of Steel and Batman V Superman, while leaked descriptions of the upcoming second trailer have confirmed that a nod to John Williams’ classic Superman theme will likewise feature.
Now, we’re learning that a star from The CW’s Smallville may also drop on by. According to Revenge of the Fans’ Mario Francisco-Robles, a trusted source tells him that John Glover has a role in the film. The actor’s most famous for his brilliant turn as Lionel Luthor, the scheming father of Lex, on the first seven seasons of the Superman prequel series. His DC pedigree goes back even further than that, though, as he’s the voice of the Riddler on Batman: The Animated Series and Jason Woodrue in Batman & Robin (er, don’t hold that last one against him).
Francisco-Robles writes that the same source previously told him that Adam Brody and D.J. Cotrona would be in Shazam! before their casting was confirmed, so he’s quietly confident that the news about Glover is also reliable. It’s also worth mentioning that Brody and Cotrona are also DC legacy castings – kinda. The pair were previously signed up to play the Flash and Superman in George Miller’s infamous unmade Justice League Mortal from a decade ago.
Director David F. Sandberg’s nods to the past should help endear his upcoming movie to fans, after the DC faithful have already received it with a generally positive reception so far. Hopefully, it’ll at least come close to the success that Aquaman has proven to be. The King of Atlantis’ solo film has become the franchise’s most popular movie to date and is due to cross the coveted $1 billion mark any day now.
Can Shazam!, starring Zachary Levi as the boy-turned-superhero, do the same? We’ll find out when it flies into theaters on April 5th.
