Shazam! is expected to begin filming in February, and the movie’s cast roster has expanded accordingly. Most recently, TheWrap reported that veteran actor Ron Cephas Jones was in negotiations with Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema to take on the role of Mamaragan, aka The Wizard Shazam (The Wizard).
Those familiar with DC Comics would know that it would be impossible for director David Sandberg to leave The Wizard out of the Shazam! origin story. The Wizard granted the teenaged Billy Batson the powers to transform himself into an adult superhero who embodies the attributes of immortal elders such as Solomon (wisdom), Hercules (strength), Atlas (stamina), Zeus (power), Achilles (courage) and Mercury (speed).
Jones’ role as William Hill, aka William Shakespeare, on NBC's This Is Us earned him an Outstanding Supporting Actor nomination at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards. And Shazam! won't be his first superhero adventure, as he currently plays Bobby Fish in Marvel's Luke Cage on Netflix. His other notable credits include Cinemax's Banshee, the USA Network's Mr. Robot, and Netflix's The Get Down.
The Wizard and Shazam! in comics (Photo Credit – DC Comics)
The Wizard is killed off in the comic books, but Billy lit a brazier in the Rock of Eternity (the Wizard's lair) to summon his ghost for guidance. So, the 61-year-old Jones might even sign on for a multi-picture deal.
The Shazam! cast includes Zachary Levi as the titular superhero, Asher Angel as the young Billy Batson, Mark Strong as Doctor Sivana, Grace Fulton as Mary Batson, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Jovan Armand as Pedro Peña, Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, and Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez.
