Cameras are expected to start rolling for Shazam! in less than a month. Most recently, the movie added a new cast member and director David F. Sandberg commented on the movie’s tone.
Deadline broke the news that Marta Milans (ABC's Killer Women and The CW's No Tomorrow) was the latest to be cast in the upcoming DC Films project. She’ll play a foster parent at the home where Billy Batson (Asher Angel) lives. As we reported in December 2017, Cooper Andrews (The Walking Dead) will play the other foster parent.
In DC Comics, Victor and Rosa Vasquez adopted Billy and the other kids in the Marvel Family. If Shazam! stays true to source, Milans and Andrews would appear as Rosa and Victor.
Based on recent comments made by lead actor Zachary Levi, a Redditor asked whether Shazam! would qualify as the "DCEU's first comedic movie". Director Sandberg responded in the affirmative, but added that the humor would be organic, stemming from the film’s plot and action:
I think it’s very funny, but the humor comes more from the situations rather than quippy one-liners. For people who read too much into things, that’s not intended as a dig at Marvel or anyone in particular. Quippy one-liners can be great.
The important thing for me is to mix the funny with a threat that’s serious and to also have dramatic moments. All funny all the time takes the weight out of it.
A recent report suggested that Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us) was in negotiation to portray the Wizard Shazam. Here's a cool new piece from digital artist @datrinti that depicts the veteran actor as The Wizard!
In addition to the actors we already mentioned, the Shazam! cast roster includes Mark Strong (Doctor Sivana), Grace Fulton (Mary Batson), Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy Freeman), Ian Chen (Eugene Choi), Jovan Armand (Pedro Peña), and Faithe Herman (Darla Dudley). Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke penned the script, and Peter Safran will produce. The movie is scheduled to arrive in theaters on April 5, 2019.
