‘Shazam!’ Director David F. Sandberg Explains The Film’s Two Big Cameos

Shazam! director David F. Sandberg helped shed more light as to how two of the film’s biggest surprise cameos came to be.

SPOILERS FOR SHAZAM! AHEAD!

Shazam! is currently exceeding beyond its box office expectations proving once again DC has another hit in their hands. Shazam! has captured an incredible superhero that fans of all ages can enjoy. With huge box office numbers and an increasing fandom David F. Sandberg’s  Shazam! will surely help lead the DCEU in the right path.

David F. Sandberg’s  Shazam! successfully told the story of Billy Batson/Shazam and villain Dr. Sivana, but there were other cameos in the film that have also garnered an audience. Near the film’s climactic battle Billy Batson’s new family join in the fight and receive Shazam’s abilities transforming them into an adult superhero version. Jack Dylan Grazer’s Freddy Freeman transformed into a superhero with Adam Brody in the suit and Jovan Armand’s Pedro Pena adult superhero was portrayed by  D.J. Cotrona.

Now, Shazam! director David F. Sandberg explained more as to how this decision came to be during an interview with THR. In the interview, David F. Sandberg stated that Justice League: Mortal was the main inspiration behind the casting:

We sort of realized afterwards that both Adam Brody and D.J. Cotrona were cast in George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal. Adam Brody was The Flash and D.J. was Superman. So, afterwards, we said, ‘Oh, shit! They finally get to be superheroes in a DC movie…’ They didn’t even know they were auditioning for superheroes.

What do you think of David F. Sandberg’s actor choices? Did you enjoy Adam Brody and D.J. Cotrona’s scenes? Share your thoughts below!

Directed by David F. Sandberg, Shazam! stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Grace Fulton, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans, and Djimon Hounsou.

We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).

Shazam! is now playing in theaters!

Source: THR