‘Shazam’ set for 2019, Zachary Levi calls it ‘Superman meets Big’

Warner Bros. is making it official for Shazam! proclaiming an April 2019 release date.

Shazam! opens four months after the next DC film, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman (Dec. 21 of this year) on April 5, 2019, the studio announced Friday. There is no real competition at that time with Paramount’s Pet Sematary opening a week after Shazam!.

Chuck star Zachary Levi stars in the film as the adult superhero Captain Marvel, who is actually a young boy named Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel). Billy is able to transform into the hero by uttering the magic word “Shazam!” Mark Strong is in talks to play the film’s villain, with director David F. Sanberg at the helm from a screenplay by Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke.

Strong is rumored to be playing Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, who turns to magic to save his family and brings Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) into the fold to battle Shazam.

Jack Dylan Grazer will play Freddy Freeman, Billy’s friend who ultimately controls the powers of the Rock of Eternity and becomes a different Captain Marvel. Billy’s long lost sister will be played by Grace Fulton.

Ian Chen and Jovan Armand also co-star. Cooper Andrews will play the foster parent at the group home where Billy lives named Victor Vasquez.

Levi cautiously teased the film recently with ET, saying that “I can’t tell you much,” the actor says, “as you can probably imagine, but what I can say is I am just out of my mind excited! I get to do my version of Big, basically. It’s like Superman meets Big, and that’s just so fun. I get to be a superhero that’s excited about being a superhero, and I think that’s refreshing. It’s not glum, and like, ‘Oh, I have to save the world again.’ So I think it’s all really gravy.”

Levy was asked about a cameo, particularly Gal Gadot as Diana Prince or Wonder Woman, and that would be his pick too.