Shazam!
Shazam! is a 2019 American superhero comedy film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by New Line Cinema, 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 (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, Mark Strong, 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. Development of a live-action 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 being considered to star as the villain Black Adam, but the project fell through; Johnson acts as an executive producer on Shazam! William Goldman, Alec Sokolow, Joel Cohen, Bill Birch, and Geoff Johns, 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 began in Toronto 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 was a box office success, grossing over $367 million worldwide, and received positive reviews from critics, who praised Sandberg's direction and the performances of Levi, Angel and Grazer, as well as its generally light tone and sense of fun. It was followed by the spin-off film Black Adam (2022) and a sequel titled Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), both of which failed to meet the critical and financial success of the first film.
Oh! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, people. Hi. - Your phone's charged. - Wow! Your phone's charged. Your phone's charged. You really need like a mic drop catchphrase after you do some cool shit. I've been thinking about that. What about this? "That's why you don't mess with electricity." Catchphrases obviously aren't one of your superpowers. And your phone's charged. - Well, you think you can do better? - What the hell?
Shazam!
Obviously. And, um, if you have a location on a cliff. Like a castle-esque type thing. - Overlooking some water. - Overlooking some water, seas, below it. Rough, you know... Like a waterfall, - so you can drive into... - Waterfall, yeah. If you... Yeah. Look, Maximum Voltage, is it? You can call me Max. Look, Max, why don't you just start with how many bedrooms you're looking for? - One! - Seven. - One? - Seven? What, am I running a foster home now?
Shazam!
Hey, Freeman. I wouldn't do that if I were you. What, is your bestie gonna hit us with a wheelchair this time? No, maybe not him, but I have another best friend who might hunt you down and destroy both of you. Okay, Freddy. You may have heard of him. The Human Power Storm. Frequency Flinger. Sir Zaps-A-Lot. Yeah. He's a man of many names. You know the Red Cyclone? You? My ass you do. Oh, we're a lot closer than you think. Maybe even at this very moment. Prove it. I will, tomorrow. Tomorrow he's gonna come to lunch. Right, right, Billy? Oh, yeah, and then Superman's gonna be bringing us dessert, right?
Shazam!