‘Shazam!’: Zachary Levi On Learning Dwayne Johnson Was Cast As Black Adam

Even though we’ve yet to see Dwayne Johnson grace the DC Extended Universe as Black Adam, many in fandom are already hoping to see him go toe-to-toe not just with the likes of Superman, but more specifically, Zachary Levi’s Shazam. But as Levi has noted, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a built guy. A very built guy.

And in a recent interview covered by us during a set visit, Zachary Levi gave his thoughts to us on when he first approached for the role of Shazam! and how he felt that he would stack up against Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam:

“My agency sent me an appointment slip for the role of Shazam in the movie Shazam. I knew that the Rock had been cast as Black Adam, and, so my first reaction is, “Why the hell are they sending me this right now?” I emailed them, and I said, “Hey, aren’t they looking for a) massive stars, or, at the very least, b) someone who is a massive person.” Even as a cursory Captain Marvel person, who knew very little, quite honestly, about the character at that point, I knew enough to know that. So, I emailed them back and I said, “Aren’t they looking for big stars or big guys?” There was kind of a non-committal, “We’re not really sure.” So, I said, “Well, I think I’m going to pass because I think that might be a waste of time. This doesn’t seem like I’ve got a shot at getting this job, to be perfectly honest.”

And indeed, while watching the trailers and spots for Shazam!, and even in his appearance in the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Zachary Levi has gotten buff. To the level that Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam will be? Well, jury’s still out on that one. But at least Levi was aware of the fact that, given Johnson’s casting, a studio would probably want an equally buff or fit actor to take on the role of superhero Billy Batson.

What do you think of Zachary Levi describing his reaction to being cast as Billy Batson and how he remembered that Dwayne Johnson had been cast as Black Adam? Do you hope to see Shazam and Black Adam meet face-to-face in the future of the DCEU? Let us know your thoughts in the comments 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 Asher Angel, Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Faithe Herman, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans and Djimon Hounsou.

The film will hit theaters next year on April 5, 2019.

Source: Heroic Hollywood