With Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad out for the public to enjoy, the DCEU continues to move along. One film we haven’t heard much about though is the upcoming Shazam from New Line Cinema and starring Dwayne Johnson. Speaking with Newsweek, Dany Garcia, Johnson’s manager and producing partner, offered an update on the film’s place in the extended universe, saying:
“Shazam! is to live in the same world [as the other films] but we have incredible autonomy over this brand and franchise. We are working with a different team, different producers, directors… it’s a different set-up… We don’t feel fettered by, or constrained by, the successes or failures and challenges of the other projects. That was a key component to our participation—that we be able to control the tone and the voice, and do it the way we want to.”
She also offered an update on the progress of development.
“We’re getting [script] drafts in… it’s important to make sure we get the tone right for Black Adam, which is Dwayne’s part… We don’t mind taking our time. We’re being very careful with each act and scene to go back and layer in as much as possible.”
Jack the Giant Slayer scribe Darren Lemke is currently penning the script for Shazam. Shazam was previously announced for an April 5, 2019, just a month before Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War Part II, though Johnson previously teased that the film could arrive earlier than that. The film tells the story of teenager Billy Batson, who transforms into the superhero when he says the magic word “Shazam!” Johnson is set to star as the lead antagonist, Black Adam.
