DC’s Geoff Johns On Giving ‘Shazam!’ The Spotlight On Page & Screen

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, DC Comics’ writer Geoff Johns explained why he wanted to see more of Shazam! on the page and on the big screen.

Although Shazam is one of the earliest superheroes to be created for comic books, the DC character will only be getting his own Hollywood feature next year. Among the many who are excited to see Billy Batson’s heroic alter-ego on the big screen is Geoff Johns, who discussed why he is thrilled after having pushed for a Shazam! movie during his time as Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment:

“I’ve been trying to get that movie made since 2009 when I was brought on as a consultant. I’ve been pushing to get that movie made, and now David Sandberg has directed an amazing, fun movie that just feels different than anything else that’s out there, from any company. I’m excited for people to see it, but more importantly, I’m excited for Shazam as a character to get out there in a bigger way — in movies, comics, everything. He was one of the most popular superheroes of his time and I think he’s still relevant. I think a kid in over his head with superpowers and magic is never gonna not be a lot of fun. To push it forward and build on it and get it out there in a bigger way is all I’ve been trying to do for a long time, and I hope that character finds a bigger audience because there’s an important message to that character that I think people can relate to, about finding family and building family and opening yourself up to the world.”

Are you excited to see the DC hero on screen as well? Share your thoughts below!

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).

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 Ron Cephas.

Shazam! will be released in theaters on April 5, 2019.

Source: Entertainment Weekly