Not many people know about the Warner Bros. movie, Shazam!. All they know is that Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is signed up to play the movie’s antagonist, Black Adam. Shazam is one of the oldest DC Comics characters. He first appeared in 1940’s Whiz Comics #2, created by cartoonist C.C. Beck. And now he’s all set to make his on-screen debut. But before that happens, here are 5 things that you need to know about the Shazam DC movie:
Shazam aka Captain Marvel
The name was changed due to the legal troubles which the character faced in the early 1950s following a copyright infringement lawsuit from DC Comics over the similarities between Superman and Captain Marvel. During that period, Marvel created its own Captain Marvel and trademarked the name which prevented DC from publishing a comic book with the same name. As a result, all the Captain Marvel series over the years had titles revolving around the word “Shazam!”
The Wizard
In the story from the 1980s, the entity who gave Black Adam and Shazam their super powers is shrouded in mystery. The wizard passed on his powers to Teth-Adam, but when Adam abused his powers, he waited nearly a millennium to find someone else to trust with his powers. That someone was Billy Batson. After transforming Billy into Captain Marvel, he was killed by a falling granite block.
In the New 52, the wizard is one of seven people who had control over the magic in ancient times. He is the only member of the council who did not fall prey to Black Adam. When he found that his death was near, he tried to find someone with a pure heart to inherit his powers. After he finally chose Billy (after going through several candidates), who made him realize that no one has a truly pure heart, but he realized that the boy has the potential to be good. After transforming Billy into Shazam, the wizard passed away.
Black Adam
Before Billy Batson became Captain Marvel/Shazam, the ancient wizard chose another person as his champion. That person was Teth-Adam of Kahndaq (formerly known as Egypt). Adam also shouts “Shazam!” to transform into his super-powered form. In the New 52 storyline, after becoming corrupted by his power, Adam gained his powers by stealing them from his intended recipient, his nephew Aman.
The Story
So far, no plot details have been released about Shazam!, but, fans can expect to see the basic story of Billy Batson, a boy who can transform by saying the magic word “Shazam” into the superhero Shazam. In his superhero adult form, Billy possess super strength, flight, and the ability to conjure various forms of magic.
Release Date Of The Movie
The movie will be hitting theaters on April 5, 2019. It will be released right after an unnamed DC film set for October 5, 2018, but before Justice League 2, scheduled for June 14, 2019.