With Justice League drawing ever more near, Warner Bros. wants its DC properties at the front our minds, and today they have unveiled their new Shazam. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Zachary Levi will play the grown-man persona of little Billy Batson, a boy who can transform into a superhero by saying the word “Shazam!”, which grants him “the genius of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the unbreakable will of Atlas, the lightning blasts of Zeus, the power of Achilles and the speed of Mercury.” Though he doesn’t cut the figure of an Asgardian god like Chris Hemsworth, Levi had made a career out of playing heroes. He starred in the sitcom Chuck as a lovable spy for five years. He was in the show Heroes Reborn, and he even has done light work as Thor’s companion Fandral in that Marvel franchise. John Cena was also rumored to be in consideration for the role at one point, which would have been an extremely different aesthetic route for the character. Shazam! is being directed by David F. Sandberg, who has delivered big on the horror scene the past two years with Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation.
