Shazam! (film)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Shazam!'' is a 2019 American
superhero film Superhero film/movie is a film genre categorized by the presence of superhero characters, individuals with extraordinary abilities who are dedicated to fighting crime, saving the world, or helping the innocent. It is sometimes considered a sub ...
based on the
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
character of the same name. Produced by
New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
, DC Films, the Safran Company, and Seven Bucks Productions, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the seventh installment in the
DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comic ...
(DCEU). It was directed by David F. Sandberg from a screenplay by Henry Gayden who co-wrote the story with Darren Lemke, and stars
Zachary Levi Zachary Levi Pugh ( ; born September 29, 1980) is an American actor. He starred as Chuck Bartowski in the action comedy series ''Chuck (TV series), Chuck'' (2007–2012), and as Captain Marvel (DC Comics), the titular character in the superher ...
,
Mark Strong Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963) is a British actor best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in '' RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (200 ...
, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou. The film follows teenager Billy Batson (Angel) as he is chosen by the ancient wizard Shazam (Hounsou) to be his new champion by saying the name "Shazam", allowing him to transform into an adult superhero (Levi) with various superpowers. Billy and his foster brother Freddy Freeman (Grazer) must discover Billy's new powers in order to stop the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong) and the
Seven Deadly Sins The seven deadly sins (also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins) function as a grouping of major vices within the teachings of Christianity. In the standard list, the seven deadly sins according to the Catholic Church are pride, greed ...
. Development of a
live-action Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...
''Shazam!'' film began at New Line in the early 2000s, but was delayed for several years. The film went into pre-production in 2009, with Peter Segal as director, John August as writer and
Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...
being considered to star as the villain Black Adam, but the project fell through; Johnson acts as an executive producer on ''Shazam!''
William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. Among other accolades, Goldman won two Aca ...
, Alec Sokolow, Joel Cohen, Bill Birch, and
Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...
, among others, were all attached to the project as writers at various points. The film was officially announced in 2014, with Johnson attached to star as either Shazam or Black Adam. In January 2017, he was cast to lead a solo Black Adam development project. Sandberg signed on to direct ''Shazam!'' in February 2017, and Levi was cast that October, with Angel joining the following month.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
began in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
on January 29, 2018, with most of the film shot at Pinewood Toronto Studios, and wrapped on May 11. ''Shazam!'' was released in the United States on April 5, 2019. The film received positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $367.8 million worldwide. It was followed by a sequel titled ''
Shazam! Fury of the Gods ''Shazam! Fury of the Gods'' is a 2023 American superhero film based on the DC character Shazam. Produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, and the Safran Company, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the sequel to '' Shazam!'' (201 ...
'' (2023) and a spin-off film '' Black Adam'' (2022), both of which failed to meet the critical and financial success of the first film.


Plot

In 1974 in
Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...
, young Thaddeus Sivana is riding in a car with his abusive father and elder brother Sid during a snowstorm, and is mocked and verbally harassed by them constantly. He is suddenly transported to the Rock of Eternity, a mystic
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
located in another dimension. There, he meets an ancient wizard named Shazam, who has spent centuries searching for someone pure of heart upon whom to bestow his powers and name as champion after his previous one unleashed the
Seven Deadly Sins The seven deadly sins (also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins) function as a grouping of major vices within the teachings of Christianity. In the standard list, the seven deadly sins according to the Catholic Church are pride, greed ...
. Thaddeus is tempted by the Sins, who promise him power if he frees them. The wizard deems him unworthy and magically returns him to the car. Thaddeus's frustration and confusion led to a car crash, resulting in his father becoming paralyzed from the waist down and even more resentful towards him. The Sins send Thaddeus a message via his 8-Ball toy, telling him to find them. In present-day Fawcett City, Philadelphia, 14-year-old foster child Billy Batson continually runs away from foster homes to search for his birth mother, whom he has been seeking ever since being separated from her at a carnival 10 years ago. He locks some police officers in a store to use their computer to locate his mother, but is unsuccessful. A social worker places Billy in a group home run by Víctor and Rosa Vásquez with five other foster children: "den mother" Mary Bromfield, shy Pedro Peña, obsessive gamer Eugene Choi, energetic Darla Dudley, and superhero enthusiast Freddy Freeman. Elsewhere, an embittered Sivana succeeds in his lifelong quest to return to the Rock of Eternity. Sivana becomes the Sins' vessel when the Eye fuses itself with his body and overpowers the wizard. He promptly uses his newfound powers to kill his father, Sid, and the members of Sivana Industries' board of directors. Billy defends Freddy from bullies at school and is pursued into a subway car, where he is transported to the Rock of Eternity. The wizard chooses him as his new champion; by saying "Shazam," Billy transforms into an adult superhero. The wizard seemingly dies and leaves his magical staff behind. Freddy is taken into Billy's confidence and helps him explore his newfound powers, which include superhuman strength, near-invulnerability, superspeed, and electrokinesis. By saying "Shazam" again, he can return to his normal body. Freddy posts
viral video Viral videos are video, videos that become popular through viral phenomenon, a viral process of Internet sharing, primarily through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhon ...
s of the new superhero, and Billy starts skipping school to use his powers to busk for money and fame. He gets into an argument with Freddy after accidentally endangering, then saving, a bus full of people. Sivana arrives and demands that Billy surrender his powers. Billy discovers he can fly and escapes. He learns his biological mother's location and visits her, only to be heartbroken upon learning she abandoned him at the carnival on purpose after feeling inadequate as a teenage mother and no longer wanting him in her life. Sivana deduces Billy's identity and takes his foster siblings hostage; Billy agrees to transfer his powers to him in exchange for their safety. They go to the Rock of Eternity to use the wizard's staff to effect the transfer, but the children attack Sivana. Billy observes that Sivana becomes vulnerable when all seven Sins leave his body. Sivana pursues them to a winter carnival and unleashes the Sins upon the crowd. Remembering the wizard's words, Billy uses the staff to share his powers with his foster siblings, transforming them into adult superheroes like him before he breaks the staff in half. The Shazam Family battles against the Sins while Billy faces down Sivana. He goads Envy into leaving Sivana powerless and recaptures the Sins after forcefully pulling the Eye out of Sivana's head. Billy and his foster siblings are hailed as heroes. They return the Sins to their prison and realize they can use the Rock of Eternity as their superhero headquarters. Billy finally accepts his foster parents and siblings as his "real" family. In his superhero form, he has lunch with his siblings at school, revealing to Freddy's surprise that he has also invited
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
. In a
mid-credits scene A post-credits scene (also known as a stinger, end tag, or credit cookie) is a short teaser clip that appears after the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV show, or video game has run. It is usually i ...
, the imprisoned Sivana is approached by a talking caterpillar who proposes an alliance. The
post-credits scene A post-credits scene (also known as a stinger, end tag, or credit cookie) is a short teaser clip that appears after the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV show, or video game has run. It is usually ...
features a silly banter between Shazam and Freddy.


Cast

*
Zachary Levi Zachary Levi Pugh ( ; born September 29, 1980) is an American actor. He starred as Chuck Bartowski in the action comedy series ''Chuck (TV series), Chuck'' (2007–2012), and as Captain Marvel (DC Comics), the titular character in the superher ...
and Asher Angel as Billy Batson / Shazam: A 14-year-old boy and the champion of the wizard with whom he shares his name and the superhero alter-ego of Billy Batson, who possesses "the wisdom of
Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...
, the strength of
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
, the stamina of
Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...
, the power of
Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...
, the courage of
Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...
, and the speed of Mercury". ** David Kohlsmith plays the four-year-old Billy. *
Mark Strong Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963) is a British actor best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in '' RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (200 ...
as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana: A scientist who was turned down as a potential champion and subsequently estranged from his family, who becomes a host for the
Seven Deadly Sins The seven deadly sins (also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins) function as a grouping of major vices within the teachings of Christianity. In the standard list, the seven deadly sins according to the Catholic Church are pride, greed ...
and Shazam's nemesis. Strong previously portrayed
Sinestro Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member w ...
in the 2011 film ''
Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'', making ''Shazam!'' his second appearance in a film based on DC Comics characters. ** Ethan Pugiotto plays the young Thaddeus. * Jack Dylan Grazer as Frederick "Freddy" Freeman: Billy's physically disabled foster brother and a fan of superheroes, who mentors Billy on the use of his newfound powers. ** Adam Brody plays the character's adult superhero form. * Djimon Hounsou as Shazam: The last surviving member of the Council of Wizards, who has spent centuries summoning people to his temple, the Rock of Eternity, in search of a "pure of heart" champion to whom he can pass on his extraordinary faculties. Hounsou previously voiced King Ricou of the Fisherman in the DCEU film ''
Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...
'' (2018). * Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley: Billy's good-natured younger foster sister. ** Meagan Good plays the character's adult superhero form. * Grace Fulton as Mary Bromfield: Billy's mature, academically driven older foster sister. ** Michelle Borth plays the character's adult superhero form. * Ian Chen as Eugene Choi: Billy's younger foster brother, an obsessive gamer and techie. ** Ross Butler plays the character's adult superhero form. * Jovan Armand as Pedro Peña: Billy's older foster brother, a shy, sensitive boy who has trouble opening up. ** D. J. Cotrona plays the character's adult superhero form. * Marta Milans as Rosa Vásquez: The foster mother of Billy and his siblings. * Cooper Andrews as Víctor Vásquez: The foster father of Billy and his siblings. The film also features John Glover as Thaddeus Sivana's estranged father and CEO of Sivana Industries. Glover had starred in other DC Comics series and films: '' Batman: The Animated Series'', ''
The New Batman Adventures ''The New Batman Adventures'' (often shortened as ''TNBA'') is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, which aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999. Produced by Warner Br ...
'', and '' Superman: The Animated Series'' as The Riddler; Dr. Jason Woodrue in the 1997 film '' Batman and Robin''; and Lionel Luthor in ''
Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...
''. Natalia Safran was cast as Thaddeus' mother, though her scenes were cut from the film. Caroline Palmer portrays Marilyn Batson, Billy's biological mother. Wayne Ward and Landon Doak portray Sid Sivana, Thaddeus' bullying brother as an adult and a teenager, respectively. Carson MacCormac and Evan Marsh portray Brett and Burke Breyer, bullies at the children's school. Director David F. Sandberg makes
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
s performing as each of the three Crocodile-Men (collaboratively assisted by Steve Newburn and Ned Morill), and provides the voice of the alien lifeform
Mister Mind Mister Mind is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel. Created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics, the character made a cameo appea ...
during a mid-credits sequence. Sandberg's wife, actress Lotta Losten, portrays Dr. Lynn Crosby; a researcher working with Dr. Sivana, who is killed by him. Sound designer Bill R. Dean has an uncredited cameo, providing the voice for a
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
toy, while Ryan Hadley, Zachary Levi's stunt double, appears uncredited as a body double for
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
. Hadley's appearance is a silent cameo, where the character is only seen from the neck down, due to Henry Cavill being unavailable to film the scene. Executive producer
Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...
's likeness is used for the mystically generated holograph of Teth-Adam, which the wizard Shazam conjures while teaching Billy the history of the Rock of Eternity, the Seven Realms of Magic, and his previous Champion, teased ahead of Johnson's appearance as the character in '' Black Adam''. The
Seven Deadly Sins The seven deadly sins (also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins) function as a grouping of major vices within the teachings of Christianity. In the standard list, the seven deadly sins according to the Catholic Church are pride, greed ...
– a supernatural team of villains consisting of the demons
Pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...
, Envy,
Greed Greed (or avarice, ) is an insatiable desire for material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions) or social value, such as status or power. Nature of greed The initial motivation for (or purpose of) greed and a ...
, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, and
Sloth Sloths are a Neotropical realm, Neotropical group of xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant Arboreal locomotion, arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of move ...
– were portrayed by stunt doubles in
motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mocap or mo-cap, for short) is the process of recording high-resolution motion (physics), movement of objects or people into a computer system. It is used in Military science, military, entertainment, sports ...
suits on-set during filming, and depicted on-screen through CGI special effects. Their voices were collectively provided by actors
Steve Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series ''Cowboy Bebop''; Amon from ''The Legend of Korra''; Heatblast, Ghostfreak, and ...
, Darin De Paul, and Fred Tatasciore; Tatasciore previously voiced the Seven Sins in the direct-to-video '' Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villain High''. In an
Easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...
appearance, Andi Osho reprises her role as social worker Emma Glover from Sandberg's debut film '' Lights Out''.


Production


Development and pre-production

New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
began development of a ''Shazam!''
live-action Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...
feature film in the early 2000s, with multiple screenplay drafts, by
William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. Among other accolades, Goldman won two Aca ...
, the team of Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen, Bryan Goluboff, and John August. The version of the ''Shazam!'' script written by August, which went into pre-production in 2008, was an action-comedy which focused on the origin story of the hero, then known by his original name of Captain Marvel, and his young alter ego, Billy Batson. Peter Segal was attached as director and
Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...
was in talks to appear as the film's villain, Black Adam. New Line Cinema was absorbed into
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
, a larger film studio also owned at the time by
Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warne ...
, during the course of development. Following the success of Warner's Batman film ''
The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005), and the second inst ...
'' and the commercial failure of its lighter, family-friendly '' Speed Racer'', both during the summer of 2008, August departed from the project, citing pressure from the studio to make the screenplay darker and more serious. In August 2009, Bill Birch and Geoff Johns, a prominent DC Comics writer, were assigned to write the screenplay, while Segal remained attached as director. In August 2010, the studio considered canceling the theatrical film in favor of a live-action series for
prime time Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
network television. In December 2013, Segal stated that the film would not be happening, as the similarities between Captain Marvel and
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
had become an obstacle after the successful launch of '' Man of Steel'' earlier that year. While the film was in development limbo, DC Comics rebooted the comic book franchise as part of their New 52 relaunch in 2012. Due to the trademark conflicts with
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
, who owned the trademark for "Captain Marvel" for use with their own character of the same name, DC renamed their Captain Marvel superhero character "Shazam" at this time when the New 52 started. DC had been required to market and promote the character using the trademark ''Shazam!'', since acquiring the publishing rights from Fawcett Comics in 1972. Captain Marvel had originated at Fawcett in 1939, but fell into limbo after 1953 following a long legal battle with DC over Captain Marvel's similarities to Superman. In April 2014, Warner Bros. revealed their upcoming slate of films based on DC Comics properties: ''Shazam!'', ''
Metal Men The Metal Men are a group of robot superheroes that appear in DC Comics. The characters first appeared in '' Showcase'' #37 (March–April 1962) and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru. Debuting in the Silver Age of C ...
'', ''
Fables Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that ...
'', and '' 100 Bullets''. The ''Shazam!'' film was tentatively set for release in July 2016. Dwayne Johnson stated he would be starring in ''Shazam!'' that August, but was undecided between portraying Shazam or Black Adam. In September, Johnson was cast as Black Adam, while Darren Lemke was set to write the script. In January 2017, Henry Gayden was hired to rewrite Lemke's script. In February 2017, David F. Sandberg was in talks with the studio to direct ''Shazam!'', while Dwayne Johnson was set to star in a ''Black Adam'' solo film, as opposed to appearing as the villain in ''Shazam!'', while Doctor Sivana, another nemesis of Shazam, became the ''Shazam!'' film's main villain. Sandberg was also approached to direct ''
Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
'' for
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
, but Sandberg finally decided to direct ''Shazam!'' rather than ''Venom'' due to the former's crew consisting of several people Sandberg had worked with at New Line Cinema. By July 2017, the studio had begun active development on ''Shazam!'' and Sandberg was confirmed as director, with production to begin in early 2018. Dwayne Johnson relayed that a different creative team was now involved than when he first signed on to the film. After being cast as the lead, Zachary Levi stated in an interview, "the idea is that it's gonna feel like the movie ''
Big Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * Big (film), ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big'', a 2023 Taiwanese children's film starring Van Fan and Chie Tanaka * ''Big!'', a ...
'', but with super powers," when was asked about the direction DC Films and New Line Cinema are going for with ''Shazam!'' Warner Bros. stated that the film would be based on the 2012–2013 ''Shazam!'' backup feature from the ''
Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
'' comic book, by writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank, which told a modernized version of Shazam's origin. In August 2017, director David F. Sandberg stated that the film would be the next to shoot in the DC universe, and by the end of the month, it had begun
pre-production Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, video game, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the co ...
. By October 2017, cinematographer Maxime Alexandre and production designer Jennifer Spence, who previously worked with Sandberg on '' Annabelle: Creation'', were added to the production. The next month, ''
Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...
'' stunt coordinator Kyle Gardiner was hired to work on the film's action sequences. On January 12, 2018, the film's release date was announced as April 19, 2019, later moved to April 5.


Casting

In August 2017, the casting process for Shazam and other characters had begun. Sandberg had stated in an interview that instead of de-aging an actor using special effects or
computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in Digital art, art, Publishing, printed media, Training simulation, simulators, videos and video games. These images ...
, he would cast both a child actor and an adult actor for the role of the main character.
Zachary Levi Zachary Levi Pugh ( ; born September 29, 1980) is an American actor. He starred as Chuck Bartowski in the action comedy series ''Chuck (TV series), Chuck'' (2007–2012), and as Captain Marvel (DC Comics), the titular character in the superher ...
,
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
, Zane Holtz, Jake McDorman, Derek Theler and
Billy Magnussen William Gregory Magnussen (born April 20, 1985) is an American actor. He has been featured in the films '' Into the Woods'' (2014), '' Bridge of Spies'' (2015), '' Birth of the Dragon'' (2016), '' Game Night'' (2018), and '' Aladdin'' (2019), and ...
all met with and/or auditioned for Sandberg for the role of Shazam. By October 2017, Levi was cast in the titular role. Sandberg chose Levi out of 100 actors after seeing his audition (which was taped on his
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
). In November, Grace Fulton joined the cast as Mary Bromfield, one of Billy Batson's foster siblings. Fulton had previously worked with the same director on ''Annabelle: Creation''. Later that month,
Mark Strong Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963) is a British actor best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in '' RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (200 ...
was in final negotiations to play Dr. Sivana. Strong confirmed he would be playing the role by January 2018. By November 2017, Asher Angel was cast as the titular hero's teenage originator Billy Batson. In December, Jack Dylan Grazer was added as Freddy Freeman, Batson's best friend. Later that month, Jovan Armand, Ian Chen, Faithe Herman, and Cooper Andrews were cast as Pedro Peña, Eugene Choi, and Darla Dudley, respectively,Multiple sources: * * with Andrews portraying Víctor Vásquez, one of Billy Batson's foster parents. By January 2018, Ron Cephas Jones entered talks to play the role of the wizard Shazam, who granted Batson his powers. Later that month, Spanish actress Marta Milans joined the cast to play Rosa Vásquez, one of the foster parents at the home where Billy lives. By the end of January 2018, actress Lotta Losten, the wife of director David F. Sandberg, revealed that she had a role in the film. On April 23, 2018, Ross Butler was announced to have joined the cast. By July, Djimon Hounsou had replaced Jones as Shazam, due to Jones having scheduling conflicts. Henry Cavill was in talks to reprise his role as Superman from previous DCEU films for a cameo, but was unable to because of scheduling.


Filming

Principal photography for ''Shazam!'' began in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
and
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
, in Ontario, Canada on January 29, 2018, under the working title ''Franklin'', and wrapped by mid-May 2018. The film was set primarily in Philadelphia and is firmly established within the DCEU. Most of the production was shot at Pinewood Toronto Studios, and also several public locations around the city, including the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, Woodbine Shopping Centre, and Hearn Generating Station. In early March 2018, filming took place at Fort York National Historic Site in downtown Toronto. By early May 2018, Asher Angel, among other young cast members, had finished filming his part, and principal photography wrapped on May 11, 2018. Reshoots and additional photography took place in Toronto between November and December 2018. Scenes set at the
Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is an List of art museums#North America, art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at ...
, and well as other location work such as footage of the
skyline A skyline is the wikt:outline, outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city's overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural area, rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the ...
and aerial shots, were filmed in the city of Philadelphia in December 2018. ''Shazam!'' had a production budget of $90–100 million (and about $102 million once post-production was complete), making it the least expensive DCEU film to-date.


Visual effects and editing

David F. Sandberg's two-time collaborator Michel Aller served as the editor for ''Shazam!'' Mike Wassel ('' Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' and the ''
Fast & Furious ''Fast & Furious'', also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'', is an American Action film, action media franchise centered on a series of films revolving around street racing, heist film, heists, and spy film, spies. The franchise also inclu ...
'' franchise) and Kelvin McIlwain (''Aquaman'') were the overall visual effects supervisors for the film. Technicolor SA, Technicolor's VFX studios Mr. X (known for ''The Shape of Water'' and ''Tron: Legacy'') and Moving Picture Company (MPC) provided visual effects. Rodeo FX, DNEG, Digital Domain, and Rise FX also worked on the VFX.


Music

On July 21, 2018, Benjamin Wallfisch was announced as the composer for ''Shazam!'', marking his third collaboration with director David F. Sandberg after previously scoring Sandberg's ''Lights Out'' and ''Annabelle: Creation''. Wallfisch had also provided additional music for ''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', the second film in the
DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comic ...
. Wallfisch cited John Williams and scores from 1980s Amblin Entertainment films as inspirations for ''Shazam!'', to match the tone of a film about "an old-school superhero from the Golden Age of Comic Books, Golden Age" In writing the score, Wallfisch stated that he was "picturing what might happen if a 14-year-old was put in front of a 100 piece orchestra and told there were no limits. I wanted the score to feel like it might have been written by an exuberant kid just having the time of his life with an orchestra."


Marketing

In April 2018, a first look at ''Shazam!'' was shown at the ShoWest Convention, CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, as director David F. Sandberg introduced behind-the-scene footage. During an interview with the Film Riot, podcast Film Riot in June 2018, Sandberg stated that "On this one, it was just like 'Yeah, I want this to be a classic superhero movie.' It takes place in the winter, so it's a lot of dark exteriors, but with a lot of colorful lights and stuff around them." On July 21, 2018, the first teaser trailer was shown at San Diego Comic-Con during the Warner Bros. panel at Hall H, with Sandberg, Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, and Jack Dylan Grazer in attendance. The trailer was later released online. It received a favorable response from journalists and audiences, who praised its humorous, zany tone. New footage from the film made its debut at Comic Con Experience, Brazil Comic Con (CCXP) in São Paulo on December 9, 2018, during the Warner Bros. studio panel, with the footage described for the attendees as action-packed. A new trailer was released on March 4, and a three-minute sneak peek was included with the digital home media of ''Aquaman''. At the STP 500 on March 24, 2019, ''Shazam!'' was the primary sponsor of Aric Almirola and the #10 Ford Mustang in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Altogether the studio spent about $105 million promoting the film.


Release


Theatrical

On March 13, 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that they were teaming up with Fandango Media, Fandango for exclusive preview screenings on March 23, two weeks before release, on 1,200 select screens and 40 exhibition circuits. ''Shazam!'' premiered at TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on March 28, 2019, and was theatrically released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on April 5, 2019.


Home media

''Shazam!'' was released on Digital distribution, digital download on July 2, 2019, and was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 16. Physical copies contain behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and gag reels. , ''Shazam!'' has made $8.3 million in DVD sales and $21 million in Blu-ray sales, totaling an estimated of $29.4 million in domestic video sales.


Reception


Box office

''Shazam!'' grossed $140.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $227.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $367.8 million. It was estimated that the film needed to gross $235–250 million worldwide in order to break even, and ''Deadline Hollywood'' calculated the film made a net profit of $74 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues. In the United States and Canada, ''Shazam!'' was released alongside ''The Best of Enemies (2019 film), The Best of Enemies'' and ''Pet Sematary (2019 film), Pet Sematary'', and was projected to gross $40–50 millionMultiple sources: *$40–45 million: *$45–50 million: from 4,260 theaters in its opening weekend. Two weeks before its release, the film grossed $3.3 million from Fandango Media, Fandango advance screenings, higher than the $2.9 million made by fellow DCEU film ''Aquaman'' the previous December. It then made $5.9 million from Thursday night screenings on April 4, for a combined preview total of $9.2 million. The film grossed a total of $20.4 million on its first day, including Thursday previews but not the March screenings. It went on to debut to $53.5 million, finishing first at the box office. In its second weekend the film made $24.5 million, retaining the top spot, before being dethroned by newcomer ''The Curse of La Llorona'' in its third weekend. In its fourth weekend, it made $5.6 million and finished fifth at the box office, including behind fellow superhero films ''Avengers: Endgame'' and ''Captain Marvel (film), Captain Marvel''. In other territories, the film was released in 53 markets on Wednesday, April 3 and Thursday, April 4, and was projected to debut to $100–120 million, for a global opening of $145–170. In its first two days of international release the film made $15.7 million, finishing first in 48 of its 53 markets. It was then released in an additional 26 countries, including China, where it made $16.4 million on its first day. It went on to have an international debut of $102 million, and a global total of $158.6 million. It came in first in 60 of its 79 markets, with its highest-grossing being China ($43.4 million), Mexico ($10.6 million), Australia ($10.3 million), the United Kingdom ($15.3 million), Russia ($8.4 million), and Brazil ($8.7 million).


Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of with an average rating of , based on reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "An effortlessly entertaining blend of humor and heart, ''Shazam!'' is a superhero movie that never forgets the genre's real power: joyous wish fulfillment." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 79% positive score, with 59% saying they would definitely recommend it. Nick Allen of ''RogerEbert.com'' said that "while ''Shazam!'' is goofier (and darker) than it may look, you'll wish its superhero came with a little more spark," while ''The Hollywood Reporter''s Frank Scheck called the film "''Big'' on steroids" and praised the tone and performances. Alonso Duralde of ''TheWrap'' wrote, "If the ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Aquaman'' movies represented DC Comics' first big-screen steps away from the austere color palette of the Zack Snyder movies, ''Shazam!'' takes us deeply into primary colors in a single bound... this new DC entry has a lovely lightness, both in the visuals and in its tone." Writing for ''The A.V. Club'', Ignatiy Vishnevetsky gave the film a "B−" and said: "...while the story of an extremely overpowered champion rising to challenge a one-dimensionally sinister baddie might seem like the epitome of simplicity, ''Shazam!'' is still a modern-day Tent-pole (entertainment), tentpole blockbuster, overburdened with backstories for both hero and villain and subtexts that it can't (or won't) fully articulate." That publication followed up with a further consideration of masculinity in the film and the superhero genre generally, focusing on the transition of Billy Batson from an adolescent boy to a man with power and responsibility. Benjamin Lee of ''The Guardian'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, specifying, "The finale, while admirably self-contained and small-scale, grinds on for far too long, a boring escalation of anti-climaxes that cumulatively dull the intended emotional impact. It's a film in need of a tighter edit with a script in need of a sharper polish, an imperfect franchise-launcher that nonetheless represents significant progress for DC."


Accolades


Future


Sequel

On April 8, 2019, ''TheWrap'' reported that New Line Cinema was developing a sequel with Henry Gayden returning to write the film, along with David F. Sandberg directing and Peter Safran producing. In December 2019, New Line Cinema announced that the sequel would be released on April 1, 2022. Following several delays, the film was released on March 17, 2023.


Spin-off

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...
was attached to ''Shazam!'' early in development, and confirmed that he would portray the villain Black Adam in September 2014. The producers decided to give the character his own film in January 2017, and Adam Sztykiel was hired that October. Jaume Collet-Serra joined in June 2019. Additional casting took place over the next year, including four members of the Justice Society of America (JSA), and the script was re-written by Haines and Noshirvani. Filming took place from April to August 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia, and also Los Angeles. It was originally set for release on December 22, 2021, but was pushed back and released on October 21, 2022.


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shazam (film) 2019 films 2019 3D films 2019 science fiction action films 2010s American films 2010s coming-of-age films 2010s English-language films 2010s fantasy action films 2010s superhero comedy films American action comedy films American fantasy action films American science fiction action films American adventure comedy films American Christmas films American coming-of-age films American teen comedy films American Christmas comedy films DC Extended Universe films Demons in film English-language science fiction action films English-language action comedy films English-language fantasy action films English-language Christmas comedy films Films about adoption Films about bullying Films about magic Films about patricide Films about rapid human age change Films about siblicide Films about size change Films about wizards Films based on classical mythology Films directed by David F. Sandberg Films produced by Peter Safran Films scored by Benjamin Wallfisch Films set in 1974 Films set in the 2000s Films set in 2018 Films set in New York (state) Films set in Philadelphia Films set in schools Films shot in Philadelphia Films shot in Toronto Films with screenplays by Henry Gayden Films with screenplays by Darren Lemke Fiction about fratricide IMAX films Live-action films based on DC Comics New Line Cinema films Shazam! (film series) Seven Bucks Productions films Seven deadly sins in popular culture Teen superhero comedy films Warner Bros. films ScreenX films 4DX films