DC's Shazam Casts Thor Actor In Lead Role

Earlier this week it was reported that DC's Shazam hits theaters in April 2019. It has now been revealed that the upcoming superhero movie will star Zachary Levi.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Levi will take on the lead role in Shazam, which is expected to start production early next year. Levi is no stranger to the genre--he is already part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having played Fandral in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok, which hits theaters next week. Levi is also known for NBC's spy comedy Chuck, the animated hit Tangled, and the recent TV drama Alias Grace.

Shazam will be directed by David F. Sandberg, who previously helmed the horror hits Annabelle: Creation and Light's Out. Sandberg confirmed the film's April 2019 release on Reddit. DC announced an April 5, 2019 release for the movie back in 2014; however, this date no longer appears on the studio's official slate.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was previously announced in the role of Shazam's nemesis Black Adam and is set to appear in a spinoff movie focusing on that character. However, it has now been confirmed that he will not feature in the Shazam movie.

Shazam first appeared in 1939, when he was known by the name Captain Marvel. The character was bought by DC in 1971, when he was renamed, due to Marvel's ownership of the name Captain Marvel. A live action Shazam TV show was broadcast in the mid-70s, while an animated show followed in 1981.

The next DC movie to hit theaters will be Justice League, which releases next month. The film is on course for a huge first weekend at the box office, with early tracking predicting a $110-$120 million opening. In addition, the studio's Aquaman has now completed production. That movie stars Jason Momoa and Amber Heard and is released in December next year.