Who knew that “Man Of Steel” would derail the Shazam movie? As far as we understand it, director Peter Segal had a couple of plans up his sleeve to bring the long-lost hero to the big screen. The film is long rumored to be called ‘Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam’.
Segal spoke to Comingsoon.net while promoting ‘Grudge Match,’ he said:
“The thing is, Shazam has always lived this tortured life going against Superman. This dates back to the 1930s. Because Captain Marvel had similar powers to Superman, the DC folks back then sued what was the most popular comic book on the stands at that time. Years later, they bought it and it became a DC property but, as long as Superman stays hot in the market place, there seems like a little bit of a crossover between the two characters. After Bryan Singer’s ‘Superman Returns,’ it seemed like there was a moment in time where Shazam was going to see the light of day. That’s when you heard those stories. Now that Superman is being invigorated and going up against Batman, I think it’s difficult for DC to figure out how to launch this character in the wake of Superman’s resurgence.”
Shazam was pitched to Segal by producer-writer Toby Emmerich. Even thought there is potential and enough interest to introduce this interesting character, the timing seems to be a problem considering the introduction of the multiple crossover movies. “Man Of Steel” has seen its fair share of controversial debates since the reintroduction of the Kryptonian superhero. Whether if geeks enjoyed the new “griddy” take on “Man Of Steel”or not, the franchise garnered a massive $660 million worldwide. Considering Shazam’s similarities to Superman, which superhero would you prefer to see on the big screen? “Man of Steel 2” has seen its fair share of controversy with the hotly debated casting of Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader. The heat is on and I will not be surprised if fans turn out just to see if Affleck can pull it off. Add to the mix the introduction of Wonder Woman, cameos by the Justice league and Lex Luthor to name a few, “Man of Steel” will overshadow any efforts to introduce Shazam.
Segal added:
“I was working with Geoff Johns. At its core, it’s a lot like Superman. There’s this boy trapped inside of a superhero’s body. He’s still a boy inside, so there’s this opportunity to play a lot of humor with the action. Originally, Stan Lee brought me ‘Fantastic Four’ a number of years for that very reason. I always have the question when people bring me superhero properties, “Why me?” With Stan, he said, “It’s because there’s a sense of humor within all Marvel characters.” These characters are flawed and, within those flaws, there is humor. When Toby Emmerich came to me with Shazam, it was because of those same reasons. To draw from that humor and to mix it with great action and pathos. I’ve always loved Shazam, but I don’t know if it’s going to see the light of day anytime soon.”
“Man of Steel 2″ will hit theaters on July 17, 2015. Henry Cavill will reprise his role as Superman, Ben Affleck will make his debut as the caped crusader and Gal Gadot will take on the role as Wonder Woman.