It's an understatement to say DC Films' Shazam! has taken a long, twisting road to the big screen. Action star Dwayne Johnson was linked to the project as far back as 2007, so, you'd think he'd actually be starring in the film. But he's not. And despite being in pre-production, and expected to be the next DC movie to begin production, the project has yet to announce an actor for the title role. Regardless, Shazam! is happening.

Are you confused about its status or who might star as Earth's Mightiest Mortal? That's OK, CBR is here to go over everything we know about the DC Comics-based movie, from its early stages to the most recent developments.

RELATED: Why Black Adam Should Be Man of Steel 2’s Villain

The Big Red Cheese's journey to cinemas began (at least in the modern era) in the early 2000s at New Line Cinema, which merged with its sibling studio Warner Bros. Pictures in 2008. However, for the purposes of this article, let's start on Aug. 19, 2009, when a report indicated that prolific comics writer and current DC Entertainment President & Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns would be the latest to take a crack at the film's script. With Bill Birch, Johns followed in the footsteps of such screenwriters William Goldman, Bryan Goluboff, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow and John August, each of whom took a turn at writing a draft.

Veteran director Peter Segal (Get Smart) was attached, so it seemed (for a time) that Shazam! would finally enter the pre-production phase. However, we didn't hear anything about it for almost three years. In a January 2012 interview, Johns insisted the film was still happening. “Oh, no, Shazam’s always — there’s always a possibility for Shazam,” he said. “There’s always talk about Shazam. And I can’t get into the specifics on that, but yeah, there’s hope for Shazam.”

Regardless of those comments, there wasn't public development on the film until Johnson (once again) expressed interest in playing classic Shazam villain Black Adam. Then, Segal cast doubt that his incarnation of Shazam! would ever see the light of day. “I’ve always loved Shazam,” he said in December 2013, “but I don’t know if it’s going to see the light of day any time soon.”

However, in April 2014, it was reported that Shazam! was indeed still in development -- with or without Segal. Four months later, Johnson said he hadn't decided if he should play Shazam or Black Adam, but confirmed he'd been in active talks with Warner Bros. By September 2014, Johnson had settled on starring as Black Adam in a film now written by Darren Lemke.

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Warner Bros. Sets A Release Date

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The following month, Warner Bros. rolled out its initial 10-movie DC Films slate, which included a 2019 release date for Shazam!

The next several developments came straight from Johnson, mostly involving his excitement over playing Black Adam. “I think Black Adam is going to grow into becoming an antihero,” he said in February 2015. “It’s all written within the spirit of respecting and paying homage to the comics. As we know, Black Adam started out as a slave. When he’s given the powers, he utilized them. Then in the wake of his powers, tragedy strikes, which turns his sentiment and tone in terms of psychology.”

While Johnson continued to tout his role as Black Adam, nothing new came from the film's development until August 2016, when producer Dany Garcia clarified that while Shazam! would be part of DC Extended Universe continuity, "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.”

Black Adam Gets His Own Movie, Shazam! Lands a New Director

Black Adam

Perhaps the biggest twist came in January 2017 with the announcement that Johnson will star in a Black Adam solo film, suggesting Warner Bros. has designs on a franchise.

The following month, it was reported that Earth to Echo's Henry Gayden would write a new draft of Shazam!, while Annabelle: Creation's David F. Sandberg had been tapped to direct.

Johnson went on to name his pick to play Shazam: Armie Hammer. However, Hammer later made it clear there were no talks for him to star in the film. “Dude, so Dwayne said that thing and literally blew up my social media,” he said. “I couldn’t even open my Instagram … I thought my phone was gonna melt. But other than that no one’s said anything. Yeah … I’m keeping my options open.”

RELATED: An Arrow Actor Has Auditioned For the Lead in Shazam!

Development seemed to speed up by July, with news that Shazam! is expected to be next DC film to move into production, with principal photography to begin in early 2018. Sandberg later confirmed that date.

The filmmaker has teased Shazam! as a departure from other DCEU releases, saying, “The big attraction for me with that character is the fact that every kid dreams of being Superman, right? I mean I certainly did, and (Billy Batson) is a kid that gets that chance. He gets to become the superhero. So, it’ll be big with superpowers in a way. In terms of what people can expect, I think this will be one of the more fun or lighthearted movies so far in the DC universe. It certainly will be a departure.”

Sandberg confirmed the film won't use de-aging technology, opting instead to cast separate actors in the role of the young Billy and the adult Shazam. “I wouldn’t want to do that," he said. "That seems like way too much of a hassle. So I think it’s just kind of best to have a kid and an adult.”

While everything certainly looked good for the film, another surprise arrived in August when DC's Geoff Johns revealed that Johnson's Black Adam will not appear in Shazam! "He’s still doing Black Adam," Johns said, "but he won’t be in Shazam!

Although there's been no further word about the Black Adam movie, it was announced late last month that Shazam! has finally entered pre-production. A purported character description even surfaced for Billy Batson, while a report indicated that John Cena and Joshua Sasse were being eyed for the title role.

Who will play Earth's Mightiest Mortal will likely the next big announcement to come from Shazam! (Sandberg said we'll know "soon," after all).


Shazam! is targeted for release on April 5, 2019.