On the heels of the report that Warner Bros. has scheduled two more DC Films for 2020, TheWrap's Umberto Gonzalez revealed that the Shazam! movie may begin production as early as next year. Gonzales shared the news on his Twitter account with speculation that Shazam! may be one of the films targeted for a 2020 release.
?FREE DCEU TWITTER SCOOP!?
I'm hearing SHAZAM⚡️ goes into production February. Maybe one of today's new DCEU dates could be that film. RT!
— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) July 17, 2017
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However, if this report turns out to be true, Dwayne Johnson -- who has signed on to play Shazam's villain Black Adam -- may not be part of it. Variety's Justin Kroll followed up on that point with Gonzales, who revealed Johnson may not be in it.
Well this is interesting. #Shazam pic.twitter.com/6QWii61WoT
— Daniel Eliesen (@Daniel_Eliesen) July 18, 2017
Johnson was cast to play Black Adam in Shazam back in September 2014. This past January, Shazam! was split into two films, with Black Adam getting his own solo movie. Johnson also hasn't been shy about his excitement for the Black Adam solo film. "So what we decided to do was to create a scenario where Black Adam has his stand-alone movie, and Captain Marvel, Shazam, has his stand-alone movie. We’re building our world that way," Johnson said in April. "And then we can come together at some point.” If the report is confirmed, then, it seems Shazam! and Black Adam will truly be separate in every sense of the word.
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Per the report, Shazam! will begin production in February next year. As Warner Bros. will spotlight Justice League and Aquaman in Comic-Con International’s infamous Hall H this Saturday, July 22, it is possible that the studio could confirm this report and more -- including a new release date -- at that time.
A Shazam! film has been in development since at least the early 2000s, before stalling in 2013. However, the project sprang back the following year as part of Warner Bros. ambitious DC Extended Universe slate, with Johnson attached to star not as the hero but instead as Black Adam. Those plans evolved further in January with the announcement of a solo film starring Johnson’s antihero.
Shazam originally targeted a 2019 release date.
(via ScreenRant)