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.
So this is, like, the Seven Deadly Sins, right? I mean, I've never been great at math, but, uh, the big, angry one, that's Wrath, yeah? And then Gluttony, obvi. Pride, Greed, Sloth, Lust, who I thought was gonna be way hotter, if I'm being honest. But that's only six. Where's lucky number seven? Where's little man? Where's Envy? Is he just scared of me and my family because we're so awesome? Because I get that. Like, the other sins, they get to come out and fight because they're big and strong and scary. But Envy... he's just the runt. And that's why all the other sins never invite him out to play, man. Because they all know who'd win. And it's not weak, worthless, ugly Envy.
Shazam!
No. No.! Here's the thing about power. What good's power, if you got nobody to share it with? - Nice. - Ta-da! That's disgusting. Fatality. I got the voice. What's that? I can have anything I've ever wanted? Billy. No, no, no! - Stop it! - Don't look at that! Billy, don't do it! Ah! - You should hear yourselves! - Not funny. You think I'm gonna put a demon ball in my head? That's disgusting. That's funny. That's pretty funny. You got me going. - You got me going. - Uh... Guys. What? Oh. Hey. Oh, wow. All right, We did it! Hey, all right, yeah! We did it! We did it! Hey, you guys are all safe. There's no more danger anymore. - We're fine. It's okay. - All right, all right, all right. We're good.
Shazam!
And thanks to six superheroes, citizens are back in their homes, safe again with their families. And here with an eyewitness account of the events... It was crazy, man! Creatures from hell! Lightning coming out of everyone's everything! And that is not cool, man! So, first day as a superhero. Automatic top spot for best ever. The man shattered the glass noodle ceiling. - No. That's racist. - Not if I say it. Guys.
Shazam!