Fans of comic books are well aware of what’s made the character of Shazam/Captain Marvel work since the Golden Age: The simple, yet ingenious idea of a boy who says a magic word in order to gain superpowers. And as such, the filmmakers will need to cast the right actors to play Billy Batson, both as a child and an adult.
Naturally, most potential moviegoers are wondering which villains we may see (Black Adam won’t be among them, at least in the first outing), but it’s important that we not forget about the rest of the supporting cast. Having said that, it comes as no surprise that the hunt is on for the youths that will surround the child version of Billy, quite possibly sharing a foster home with him.
According to That Hashtag Show, a casting call has gone out for the following characters:
[DANIEL]11, Korean. Daniel is a smart kid, into video games and reading non-fiction. SUPPORTING [CARLOS]15, Hispanic, overweight, with asthma. Carlos is very shy and sweet. SUPPORTING [SUZY]8-10, African American. A sweet, bubbly girl with glasses and pigtails. SUPPORTING
It’s been pointed out that those descriptions likely assigned to code names fit Eugene Choi, Pedro Pena and Darla Dudley, each of whom first appeared in Flashpoint before later being integrated into New 52 continuity. Quite frankly, looking to the more recent comics written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank would make a lot of sense because not only are their sensibilities more modern, but they’re also the ones newer readers will be familiar with.
Furthermore, there’s this one to consider:
[FRANK]11-13, Caucasian. A kid at the group home with “Billy”, who becomes his friend and confident. Sarcastic and funny. SUPPORTING
Odds are that “Frank” is actually Freddy Freeman, whom you may know better as Captain Marvel Jr. Our better judgement says he won’t be donning a superhero costume in the first film, but you never know. If he were to do so though, we’re guessing they’d call him Shazam Jr.
