It appears that a Shazam director has been found as The Wrap reports that Lights Out helmer David F. Sandberg is prepared to helm the DC Comics adaptation. Sandberg, who made his feature film debut with Light Out (based on his own original short), is also the director behind Warner Bros.‘ upcoming Annabelle 2. Horror fans can likely take away from this news that the August 11 The Conjuring sequel spinoff sequel is looking solid at the studio.
Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, Shazam first appeared in Fawcett Comics’ Whiz Comics #2. By saying the world “Shazam,” teenager Billy Batson was transformed into the “world’s mightiest mortal” and given extraordinary abilities by ancient gods. Originally known as Captain Marvel, legal disputes between DC and Marvel comics over the decades led to the hero receiving an official name change in 2011.
The Shazam movie is set to star Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam and will take place in the same cinematic universe as Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad.
“Shazam! is to live in the same world,” said Johnson’s manager and producing partner in a recent conversation with Newsweek, “but we have incredible autonomy over this brand and franchise. We are working with a different team, different producers, directors… it’s a different set-up… We don’t feel fettered by, or constrained by, the successes or failures and challenges of the other projects. That was a key component to our participation—that we be able to control the tone and the voice, and do it the way we want to… We’re getting [script] drafts in… it’s important to make sure we get the tone right for Black Adam, which is Dwayne’s part.”
Jack the Giant Slayer scribe Darren Lemke is penning the script for Shazam. Shazam was previously announced for an April 5, 2019, just a month before Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War Part II. Johnson previously teased on social media, however, that the film could arrive earlier than that.
