Shazam!, the upcoming superhero solo movie, is taking shape. The film’s director David F. Sandberg just revealed one thing that won’t be in the film.
As you know, two more Shazam family members have been cast and that has left fans to speculate exactly how Billy Batson’s New 52 portrayal would affect the film.
According to David F. Sandberg, one thing from the New 52 that won’t cross over into the film – Billy being a “huge dickhead.”
He's not a huge dickhead.
— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) December 12, 2017
As fans will remember, the New 52 run of Shazam from Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, provided a new sort of twist on Billy Batson’s origin. Primarily, it did so by making him a pretty awful foster kid. The New 52 Billy responded negatively to the death of his parents and his time in foster care. He was ultimately brought on a sort of “hero’s journey” of redemption through his days as Shazam.
Fans can expect that some of Billy’s New 52 canon will come into Shazam!, especially since Johns is now serving as DC’s CEO and he’s helping oversee the DCEU’s films. But still, some have responded positively to Sandberg’s Twitter revelation, as it reflects the sort of “Big with super powers” comparison that the film has already received.
Sandberg’s version of Billy Batson will be portrayed by Asher Angel, while his adult Shazam persona will be played by Zachary Levi. Other cast members will include Mark Strong, Grace Fulton, Jack Dylan Grazer, Ian Chen, and Jovan Armand. As Sandberg recently hinted on Instagram, there are plenty more Shazam! casting announcements to come!
