Batman V Superman And Beyond: What To Expect From The DCEU

Shazam

Directed by: Not yet announced
Written by: Bill Birch, Geoff Johns, and Darren Lemke
Starring: Dwayne Johnson
Release Date: April 5th, 2019

Of all the movies planned for the DCEU, Shazam is unarguably the most challenging in terms of creating the story in its own way, while tying it in to the wider universe. This also makes it a very interesting prospect, though – not least because it has been in development for decades, and has specifically been included in the DCEU line-up by Warner Bros – despite it being ‘the odd-one-out,’ as it were, by originating with New Line Cinema.

Shazam will be very distinctive within the DCEU, featuring a narrative more heavily based in fantasy and magic. Originally known as Captain Marvel, the titular character’s name was changed (for obvious reasons), and his revised origin story – as per the New 52 re-launch – saw him as troubled foster child Billy Batson, bestowed with super powers by a magical wizard in need of a champion. His powers are delivered to him by a bolt of lightning, and he can summon them whenever he says the word “shazam.” The wizard also unleashes Black Adam – an ancient anti-hero – who shares a difficult connection with the current Shazam (Batson).

Dwayne Johnson has long been cast as Black Adam in this Shazam film – which instantly makes it a film to watch out for. But, how does such a mystical movie fit in with the wider DCEU? Well, although the character of Shazam may be relatively little known outside of comic books – in comparison to Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman – his stories are closely tied to those characters and, most specifically, the story of Black Adam is closely tied to the character of Darkseid – lending more weight to the idea that this ruler of Apokolips is indeed the Big Bad of the DCEU.