Lead cast for Shazam! film.

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Ares
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by Ares »

A good age for Billy is anywhere between 12 and 16. Though Don Newton's World's Finest run and the Adventures of Capt. Marvel serial made me believe that even a Billy in his late teens or early 20's could work.
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by MacynSnow »

Ken wrote: Mon Oct 30, 2017 12:04 pm Image

Concept art, nnnn. But please note Mr. Levi's words about "bringing the original Captain Marvel to life". It's not a guarantee, by any stretch, but at least when the lead actor is getting the lead character's name right, there's hope.
Levi has gone on record before as saying he's a big fan of our favorite rock sitter. As an afterthought: i actually don't mind the costume,as it at least sticks to DCEU continuty looks(check out Wonder Woman's coustume an compare it to her classic to see what i mean).
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by L-Space »

Ken wrote: Thu Nov 02, 2017 1:23 am There's an actor named Joshua Rush who played "young Chuck" in a handful of "Chuck" episodes. He was a believable younger-version-of-Zachary-Levi. The only problem is that he's already 15, so he may be a little long in the tooth.
I think 15 is still a good age for Billy Batson. Even if they did want to add or subtract a couple years, that's easy enough to do with the right wardrobe and make-up.
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by L-Space »

Billy Batson cast. Don't really know the kid from anywhere and quick search online isn't showing too much of note. He is around the right age though.
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by Ares »

I really hope all of the signs pointing to a Shazam film primarily inspired by the "Curse of Shazam" storyline prove to be incorrect, because to me at least, it would be a mistake. If you're going to introduce a version of Captain Marvel to a wide audience via a film, and claim that it's going to be more fun and light hearted . . . you do not base your story on one of the darkest and most divisive presentations of the Marvel Family (tied with 'Trials of Shazam' in that regard). The series that made Billy into a Grinch-like-jerk who needed his foster family (which re-imagines his best friend and sister as foster siblings) to teach him the true meaning of family while radically changing everything about the Shazam mythos. If I want to watch a movie where a brooding jerk learns to be a part of a family again, I'll watch the LEGO Batman movie.

A Captain Marvel movie needs to be something . . . FUN, especially since doing so would help distance itself from the Man of Steel film. Storyline wise, I think you'd want something akin to the Power of Shazam graphic novel, Superman/Shazam: First Thunder, and Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam, with a little Shazam: A New Beginning and the Batman: Brave and the Bold Shazam episode thrown in for good measure.

To make it fit in with the DCEU, I'd have it go as follows:


A prologue would showcase how there was a time of epic legends, when gods freely roamed the Earth and heroic mortals fought together with Amazons, Atlanteans and beings from the stars to fend off evil. However, the gods were betrayed by one of their own, and their powers were threatened to be lost to history. One Wizard, however, made a pact with the dying Zeus. The Wizard would take the energies of the gods and bind them with the abilities of other great heroes to create a champion to defend Zeus' beloved mankind. Zeus agreed, and transferred not only his Power to the Wizard, but the Strength of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas and the Speed of Mercury. The Wizard would then travel the world, adding to those powers the Courage of Achilles and the Wisdom of Solomon. Using those powers, this Wizard, Shazam, fought countless monsters and threats to the world, and created the Rock of Eternity to serve as a home, a storehouse of mystical objects, and a prison for the truly evil. However, after a few thousand years, Shazam eventually grew weary of the endless strife, and wished to give his powers to another.

4,000 years later, Billy and Mary's parents are archeologists funded by Sivana to find the lost tomb of Black Adam in the Kahndaq desert. They do, but then Sivana arranges for them to conveniently die during a cave in of the tomb while a minion brings back what Sivana REALLY wanted: a magical scarab pendant. The film flash forwards a few years to the now orphaned Billy Batson, who is living alone in a cheap apartment complex. It'd be revealed that Billy was kicked out of his home by his Uncle Ebeneezer after his parents deaths, with said uncle using various underhanded means to not only acquire Billy and Mary's inheritance, but to remove all legal proof of their existence. Thus Billy is left homeless and has no idea how to track down his sister, who went missing around the same time his parents died.

Billy, being a resourceful young kid, managed to get some of his parents computer equipment and a video camera, and has been using them to make web-blogs and Youtube videos, various Phil DeFranco-style news stories that earn him enough money to rent his own apartment while he searches for answers about his sister and his family. The building's owner, a kindly old man named Dudley, lets Billy stay, with all of the building's patrons referring to him as "Uncle Dudley". Some of the kids Billy does stories on could include nods to his foster siblings in the Curse of Shazam story, as well as showcase his friendship with Freddy. Even now, Billy is trying to help people by getting their stories out to the world. We'd also see videos of his dad and Billy watching old Film Serials, like Flash Gordon, together.

Billy's investigation leads him to Sivana's company, which he manages to cleverly infiltrate and find out that Sivana was involved with his parents death. Sivana was interested in the scarab because legends tell that half of the scarab came from outer space. Billy's uncle is there, who apparently had been instrumental in getting Billy's parents to work for Sivana, and been well paid to do so. However, Billy was suppose to die as well, and instead of being dead, he was making trouble for both Sivana and Ebenezer. When the latter becomes a bit too vocal about how Sivana screwed up, Sivana simply kills him, which Billy records. Sivana then turns the multi-colored scarab over, it reveals the back is another scarab that is a solid blue color. Sivana uses machines to attempt to separate the two scarabs, only to cause a massive electrical disturbance, wherein the body of a man with a lightning bolt on his chest. The disturbance ends, but gives away Billy's presence, who has to flee Sivana's security forces. During the escape, Billy makes his way down a subway tunnel, only for a very strange subway car to suddenly show up. Lacking any options, Billy dives inside, where the car promptly takes him to the Rock of Eternity.

After passing by the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, Billy makes his way to Shazam's throne room, where Shazam relates his story, and continues it. In the past, Shazam had traveled to Egypt, where he chose a noble warrior, Teth Adam, to be his champion, using a similar spell to bind the energies of Egyptian gods to Adam, as the gods of Egypt were leaving this world. Adam, at first noble, had his pride hurt when others were named pharaoh over him. The pharaoh claimed to be a living god, yet Adam truly wielded the powers of the gods. Did that not make him a god himself? Eventually, Adam sought to take over the world and become worshipped as a god. Shazam was forced to battle Adam, because once given, the Power of Shazam cannot be taken away. To stop Adam, Shazam was forced to use a magical amulet to banish Adam to another dimension, with Shazam using his own power to keep Adam from accessing the Rock of Eternity to escape. Shazam would then spend the next several thousand years using his power to keep Adam in that dimension, while searching for a new champion who would not become corrupt as Adam had.

Billy is, of course, Shazam's choice, with the Wizard having kept an eye on Billy his entire life, with Shazam's belief that Billy's life was proof of Billy's incorruptibility. Billy naturally tries to say that isn't the case, but Shazam uses his magic to showcase Billy's life. How when Billy was left homeless and without any family or security, he did not become bitter and angry at the world (Wrath), nor jealous of those who had what he'd lost (Envy, Greed). Nor did he choose to simply waste away (Sloth) or try to bury his pain in what little vices he could find (Gluttony), but instead used his resources to persevere and try to help people in situations almost as bad as his own (Injustice). And even now, when offered the power of the gods, he hesitated out of humility (Pride). Billy's life had been a test of character, one the Wizard felt he had passed.

Shazam had wanted to wait until Billy was a little older, but Sivana's machinations have forced things ahead of schedule. Black Adam will soon be free, and it will be up to Billy to stop him. However, Shazam also stresses that he cannot force this power on Billy. Billy must choose to accept it. Billy isn't sure he'll be able to, but asks simply what Black Adam will do when he escapes. Shazam reveals he's spoken with Adam frequently over his imprisonment, trying to turn Adam back to the side of good, but Adam has refused, and plans to wreck bloody vengeance on the world when he's released. Knowing this, Billy accepts, and is instructed to say the Wizard's name.

In a flash of lightning, Billy is transformed, and Shazam dubs him Captain Marvel, explaining that the name and look of the champions is born from their fondest wishes. Adam's form was based on wanting to simply be a more powerful version of himself, hence why he became "Mighty Adam". Billy, by contrast, is born from memories of his father, and one of their favorite activities, explaining both the name and the retro-hero look. Shazam then starts to fade, revealing that the power he gave to Billy was the only thing maintaining his mortal form, and he must now merge with the Rock of Eternity, and wishes his champion good luck. The wizard then explodes in a flash of magic lightning, and when the light fades, Captain Marvel is floating over his city.

He freaks out a bit at first, but then realizes he can fly. Wondering how he's doing this triggers the Wisdom of Solomon, causing magical runes to appear within his eyes as the question is answered inside of his mind. The Wisdom functions as a kind of mystical database that answers questions he puts to it, acting akin to JARVIS from the the Iron Man movies, but without any personality. It explains his powers to him, and Billy instantly flies back to Sivana's tower,t thinking that if he can get the amulet back, he can keep Adam from getting free. However, arriving there, Billy finds the place deserted, with Sivana having moved to a secondary location. Billy starts to search for Sivana, but gets distracted by various people who need his help, both in life threatening ways and in smaller ways, including getting a cat out of a tree for someone. Billy actively enjoys being a hero, helping people, and is having fun.

Meanwhile, in a secret bunker, Sivana has been experimenting with the scarab, and has made contact with Black Adam. Sivana explains that the blue scarab is helping the mystical scarab keep Adam contained, and that Sivana is aware that the blue scarab actually contains alien technology, highly adaptive alien technology that Sivana wishes to use to gain access to all of the world's data, giving him unlimited power to blackmail others, effectively gaining power over the modern world. Sivana will release Adam if the latter swears, on his power, to grant Sivana three requests, as per the customs of ancient Kahndaq. Adam, a slave to tradition, will do so, especially since Sivana is playing up to his ego and treating him with respect. Sivana frees Adam, and explains that he needs a new Wayne-tech satelite being developed, and that Adam's first task is to steal it.

Cap, still enjoying being a hero, senses when Adam is released. When the news showcases a man in black devastating a Wayne-tech factory, Cap flies over there and confronts Adam. The two battle fairly evenly, but Adam realizes that if the Wizard chose this one, then he has the same "softness" the Wizard did, and places people in danger. Cap rescues said people, but the result is that Adam is able to escape with the satellite.

Frustrated, Cap transforms back into Billy and goes speak with Uncle Dudley and Freddy, both of whom are concerned about Billy having gone missing. Billy tells them the whole story, even changing in front of them to prove his point, and then changes back to continue the conversation. Billy wonders if he made the wrong choice, if he should have prioritized stopping Adam over saving those people. Freddy tells him that he did the right thing, while Dudley simply asks Billy what his parents would have done. Billy responds that they both would have wanted him to save those people, because every life matters. Billy realizes another reason why his Captain Marvel form looks like his father: he wanted to remind himself of his parents morals and how he should live up to them. Unlike Adam, whose perfect form is just an idealized version of his normal form, Billy's hero form is an example to live up to, something he needs to grow into, a constant reminder to try and be a better hero. Billy then says that he needs to find Adam and Sivana, but is frustrated with difficult it is. Freddy suggests that he's having a hard time because being a 6'4" demi-god attracts a lot of attention, and that he should find Sivana the way he originally did: by being Billy Batson.

Billy takes that advice and uses his investigative skills (with some occasional help from his Captain Marvel powers), to track down Sivana's secret lab. During the same montage, Sivan and Adam prepare the satellite (now with the scarab attached to it), with Sivana's second request being for Adam to fly the satelite in orbit. Billy sneaks into the place just as Sivana is preparing to activate the device, and transforms. Black Adam returns and Sivana makes his final request that Adam kill Captain Marvel. Adam and Marvel fight in an epic battle while Sivana uses the satelite to start acquiring vast information. The battle takes place across the city and even across the the country, with the Captain constantly prioritizing saving people while also battling Adam to a standstill.

Eventually, Cap gets an idea on how to take out both threats at the same time, after consulting with the Wisdom and it confirms that he has some degree of control over the magic lightning that transforms him. He makes like he's going to attack the satellite, with Adam following him. Then, he says "Shazam", positioning himself so that the lightning destroys the satellite as it heads towards Cap, who dodges out of the way so that the lightning hits Black Adam, transforming him back into Teth Adam. Cap flies down to catch him, clamping a hand over Adam's mouth to keep him from saying his own magic word again. Cap briefly wonders what to do with Adam, when his eyes light up with the Wisdom and he smiles. He then flies to the Rock of Eternity under his own power, allowing us to see it in all its glory, as he brings Adam before the Wizard. The Wizard then imprisons Adam in a special prison within the Rock itself, a silent void where Adam cannot speak.

Shazam congratulates the Captain on a job well done, and Cap speaks with him about what he's learned, how he won't repeat the mistakes Adam made. Adam lost touch with his humanity by spending all of his time as a god. But Billy likes his life, his friends, and it was as Billy Batson that he had made a difference. The Captain re-afirms that he plans to live his life as both a mortal and a hero, wherein Shazam says that all will know Captain Marvel as the World's Mightiest Mortal. Shazam also says that magic is a funny thing, often rewarding those who use its powers for good. And then also reminds Billy that Sivana is still on the loose. Captain Marvel claps his forehead in a "d'oh" manner, and then flies back to Sivana's base. Sivana is gone, but the magic lightning fried the system, so that Sivana couldn't get much information. He scans through the files and security camera footage, deleting a camera shot that shows him transforming from Billy into Captain Marvel, but saving the scenes of Sivana freeing Adam and spilling his plans. In addition, one bit of information on the computer that somehow "magically" survived, is actual proof of Billy's existence.

We then get a montage of what happens next. Billy breaks the story of Sivana, how he murdered his parents, released Black Adam, using the camera footage he had, in addition to security footage taken from Sivana's base. Sivana's assets are frozen, and Billy's reporting earns him a job with the WHIZ Broadcasting company. Meanwhile, Billy is able to use his re-established identity, access to his family funds and his demonstrated competence to have himself emancipated legally. He has his old family home turned into a center for homeless and troubled children and teenagers, with Uncle Dudley in charge, where we see many of the kids he'd spoken too earlier now living. Billy himself moves into a new apartment, setting it up when the police band radio he has alerts him to an armored car robbery. Changing, Captain Marvel flies over to thwart the robbery, only to find the robbers already dealt with. Standing there are Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, who say they've heard good things about the Captain, and have an offer for him.

We then have three post credit sequences.

The first shows Sivana, looking a bit more haggard as he hangs out in a secret location. He's going over what little info he was able to escape with on his lap top. One of the images he has is a copy of the security camera from his base, showing Billy transforming into Captain Marvel. He's mulling over that info when his computer screen becomes staticy, and a voice starts speaking to him through the machine. The voice tells of how using Reach technology like that sent a signal out into the universe for anyone to find it, and the voice goes on to say that he finds Sivana to be the perfect kind of human to form an alliance with. When asked of who this voice is, the voice says that he'll answer to "Mr. Mind".

The second showcases El Passo, Texas, where a teenager named Jaime Reyes sees something crash into the ground. He walks over to it and finds the scarab from the satellite that Cap destroyed. He comments that it's some kind of "Blue Beetle", just as the scarab starts to move of its own volition.

The final scene shows a young girl watching television when an adult walks in and asks "What are you watching, Mary?". Mary says that there's apparently a superhero in the neighboring city, and that he looks kind of like the dreams she's had of her father.

The End.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Ares
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by Ares »

Well FUCK.

Image

There goes most of my hopes for the film.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by Ken »

Ares wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 3:09 am Well FUCK.

Image

There goes most of my hopes for the film.
The image didn't come through. Is it the image of Levi, in costume, with his back mostly to us and some VERY face Christmas Tree thingies in the background?
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by Ares »

That's the one. And while I'd normally be all for a superhero costume that actually looks like a costume, the fact is that it's the Curse of Shazam / Nu-52 costume. Which tells me that's where they're drawing most of the inspiration from. So as previously stated, FUCK.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by BriarThrone »

Ares wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 4:20 am That's the one. And while I'd normally be all for a superhero costume that actually looks like a costume, the fact is that it's the Curse of Shazam / Nu-52 costume. Which tells me that's where they're drawing most of the inspiration from. So as previously stated, FUCK.
That's what happens when you have hope for something Hollywood is doing.
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by Ken »

Well, I'm not fond of the nu-52 costume or the nu-52 character "the Sham", I have read reports that the director says it's going to be a light-hearted film. Since "light-hearted" and "nu-52" are mutually exclusive, I still have a tiny sliver of hope.

But yeah, the signs that, visually, the film will be disappointing are there.
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by Ken »

I'm also hoping that the filmmakers do what they did for in Justice League Action and simply skip having the Big Red Cheese's name said. It should be pretty easy, since Sivana calls him "the Big Red Cheese" anyway.
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by Ares »

BriarThrone wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 4:26 am
Ares wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2018 4:20 am That's the one. And while I'd normally be all for a superhero costume that actually looks like a costume, the fact is that it's the Curse of Shazam / Nu-52 costume. Which tells me that's where they're drawing most of the inspiration from. So as previously stated, FUCK.
That's what happens when you have hope for something Hollywood is doing.
I don't think that's entirely fair to Hollywood. It's a collection of individuals, and they've given me just as much to love as to hate. There's only one MCU film I actively hate, I like or love the rest. Off the top of my head, recent Hollywood gave me John Wick 1, Rogue One, Hacksaw Ridge, Deadpool, Wonder Woman, Moana, the Kung Fu Panda films, Blade Runner, the LEGO Movie, etc. Sure, they also gave me The Last Jedi, Ghostbusters 2016, the Transformers films, and a lot of other crap, but you take the good with the bad.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by Jabroniville »

I am shocked... SHOCKED... to discover that Ares is annoyed by an aspect of the costume used for a Shazam! movie :).
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by Shock »

You're making an awfully big leap based on one image there. The costume actually says very little about how the character is going to act. For all we know, the people making the movie haven't even read any recent comics. Wouldn't be the first time
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Re: Lead cast for Shazam! film.

Post by kreuzritter »

as the one who passed the picture to Ares in the first place, I think it's a marked improvement over the comics (for example, none of that weird ribbing/plating texture effect)

the costume itself looks more like classic tights than the suits we've seen in most superhero movies/tv. certainly gets points for a nice bright red, rather than muted, based on how it matches the red on the ornaments, . and hood aside, the cape is considerably shorter and lighter looking than in the books. and I don't mean the color, i mean it looks something like linen or other lightweight material, a proper cape rather than a draping cloak

admittedly, this is a dc movie, but I'd take this picture as a sign to be cautiously optimistic
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