We knew that Shazam! was set to head into production soon, but we weren't sure whether the movie would be able to keep to its original 2019 release date. But now, the director has confirmed that they’re still shooting for that date.
When Warner Bros. announced the timeline for their DC Comics-based shared universe in October 2014, Shazam! was scheduled for release on April 5, 2019. Of all of the movies that have arrived since that time, only Suicide Squad managed to uphold its original release date. Both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Wonder Woman arrived earlier than expected. Among the upcoming movies, Justice League is on schedule, but Aquaman and Flashpoint (originally The Flash) have both been pushed back.
So we couldn't be certain that Shazam! would launch on its originally announced date. However, David F. Sandberg took to Reddit to clarify that his DC superhero movie is still expected to roll into theaters in April 2019. As part of a post about his recently released Annabelle: Creation, a fan asked:
Also…how is Shazam! moving along? Is it true it won’t be out until mid-2019, or is that like a “latest possible” release date?
Sandberg’s response:
April 2019. It takes a long time to make VFX-heavy movies.
Shazam! officially moved into pre-production a couple of months ago. While we haven't seen a casting announcement yet, a number of audition tapes and casting calls have surfaced online that have given us a good idea of which of Billy Batson's allies and enemies will show up in the movie.
Sandberg is expected to get the cameras rolling by next February, so we can expect to see some major updates in the next few months.