SHAZAM Producer Offers Update on Film’s Progress, Tone and More

It has been a while since we’ve heard an update on Shazam, New Line Cinema’s DC Comics adaptation. Dwayne Johnson will play villain/antihero Black Adam, while Darren Lemke was hired to write the script. A director and additional cast members haven’t been announced yet. Last we heard, Johnson said that the film was probably going to come out sooner than its current April 5th, 2019 date.

Now, we have a new update on Shazam. Speaking with Comic Book, producer Hiram Garcia discusses where they’re at with the movie right now. “We’re a good way into development. We’re expecting a next draft soon which I think is really gonna put us in the zone that we’re hoping for.” When asked about Johnson’s comments on the film arriving before 2019, Garcia tells the site, “We don’t want to rush the process. It’s a priority to get it right but once it’s right, it’s gonna be hard to hold it back.”

Regarding casting for other roles, Garcia says that the priority right now is to perfect the story. “We kind of float some names around but nothing is locked in. Right now, the focus, the sole focus is getting the story right. Getting the story really, really good and then the rest will be able to fall in line.” He also reaffirms that tonally, the goal for Shazam is that it will “…have not only real stakes, real story, and real emotion, but a ton of fun in the process.”

This is certainly an encouraging update for Shazam, considering that it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything. We’ll have to wait and see if Warner Bros. and New Line move up the film’s release date, considering the rest of the DC Films schedule. Two films are scheduled for 2017, and three are coming in 2018. Can they squeeze Shazam in before 2019? Stay tuned for more news as we have it.

For Garcia’s full interview with Comic Book, where he discusses his personal experience with Shazam and the dynamic between the titular hero and Black Adam, click HERE.