‘Shazam!’ Director Confirms DC’s Changing Strategy Didn’t Affect Their Plans For The Zachary Levi Film

Shazam! director David F. Sandberg and producer Peter Safran have confirmed Warner Bros.’ shifting strategy for the DC Films cinematic universe had no impact on the upcoming superhero film starring Zachary Levi.

In less than a week, Zachary Levi makes his debut as the magical superhero in the first-ever big-screen adaptation of the DC Comics character Shazam. The standalone film went into production just after the shake-up over at Warner Bros. which saw a massive overhaul and restructuring of its global theatrical and home entertainment operations with Chief Content Officer Toby Emmerich being promoted to Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman, taking over for the former CEO Kevin Tsujihara. This included Warners restructuring its DC films division following the box office disaster that was Justice League which saw co-president of production Jon Berg replaced by The Conjuring and IT producer Walter Hamada.

Just over a month ago, the former CEO Tsujihara confirmed that the cinematic universe would not be as connected going forward as it was initially planned, with the studio concentrating their efforts on standalone films after the success of both Wonder Woman and Aquaman, though there is a chance we could still see another team-up film down the line. Speaking with SYFY Wire, Sandberg, along with producer Peter Safran were asked if the shifting strategy had any effect on their plans for the Shazam! movie when Sandberg explained that the film was set to be a standalone adventure focused on the magical superhero from the very start, leaving no impact on the Zachary Levi-led film:

“No, because we always wanted to just focus on telling [Shazam’s] story. There was never any mandate to set things up for the future or incorporate certain things, it was just [to] make the best Shazam! movie. And then, since it’s set in the world of DC, we could peek out and put in all these references and easter eggs and make it feel that it really is in that universe while still being its own story.”

To see the full interview with the Shazam! cast including Zachary Levi, as well as director David F. Sandberg and producer Peter Safran, check out the video below!

Are you excited to see Zachary Levi make his superhero debut in Shazam! Let us know in the comments below!

David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation) has directed Shazam! from a script written by Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke. Shazam! is being produced by New Line Cinema in conjunction with Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment. Peter Safran produced the film along with Dwayne Johnson, Christopher Godsick, Jeffrey Chernov, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia serving as executive producers.

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. Here’s the official synopsis for DC’s Shazam!:

“We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Asher Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Zachary 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! will be released in theaters on April 5, 2019, and will be followed by Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, and Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020. A standalone Joker film set outside of the DC Films universe starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime is also set to hit theaters October 4, 2019.

Source: SYFY Wire