Zachary Levi Reveals Why He Almost Passed On ‘Shazam!’ Role

During a recent Q&A, Shazam! star Zachary Levi revealed that he almost passed on the role because of the casting of Dwayne Johnson as the DC villain Black Adam.

Next year, fans will finally get to see the two Captain Marvels up on the big screen. Marvel is releasing Captain Marvel starring Brie Larson in March and then DC is releasing Shazam! in April, which features a hero known as Captain Marvel, though it seems he’ll simply be referred to as Shazam in the film. Thor: The Dark World star Zachary Levi will be playing the hero, who is brought to life by the titular yell uttered by Billy Batson (Asher Angel). Fans have praised Levi’s performance in the trailer but it turns out that Levi originally passed on playing the role.

Levi spoke at a recent Q&A and according to SuperBroMovies, the actor originally passed on playing Shazam!‘s lead role because he assumed the film would need someone closer in physique to Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. Johnson was originally set to play the villain in Shazam! but instead, his character is now set to lead his own solo movie before going up against Levi somewhere down the road. This is what Levi had to say during the Q&A about the audition tape for another role that ultimately led to him getting Shazam!.

“I put myself on tape for this other role and the director, producers and the studio saw it. And they hadn’t cast their Shazam yet and they said ‘we think that could be our Shazam’.”

Say what you want about his performance, but it seems that fate really wanted Levi to get that role. During the Q&A, Levi then went on to liken his journey to landing the role of Shazam to that of young Billy Batson.

“I feel like in the same way the Wizard sees in Billy Batson the character that is necessary to be Captain Marvel, Shazam. I feel like New Line and my director and producers saw in me the character necessary to be this character.”

Levi then went on to briefly discuss the Black Adam solo movie, which still has no release date yet. The actor definitely made it clear that he isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with Johnson anymore.

“I don’t know when they’re going to make that standalone live-action movie but I know that’s the plan. And I hope that eventually Shazam and Black Adam get to fight each other because I’d like to kick The Rock’s ass.”

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all news regarding Shazam! and Black Adam as soon as more information becomes available. Are you excited to see Shazam! next year? Which upcoming DC movie are you most excited about? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Shazam! stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Grace Fulton, Jack Dylan Grazer, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand and Mark Strong as Doctor Sivana. Here’s the official synopsis:

“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! hits theaters on April 5, 2019.

Source: SuperBroMovies