I’ve always liked the Captain Marvel character, especially with the Kingdom Come storyline (by the way, if DC ever really wants to make a multiple hero movie with their characters… then it really should be Kingdom Come). The problem is, as rumors have been circulating the last couple of years about a Shazam movie, I just can’t help but think he’s a little too similar to another DC hero (Superman) to really work or be taken seriously. Yes, the personalities are totally different… but look at the two of them… a flying guy in a cape with super speed and strength. I think movie audiences would raise an eyebrow to it…. but I could be wrong about that.
Anyway, the latest rumor about a potential Shazam project is that possible inclusion of The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) as the hero. The good folks over at Coming Soon give us this:
So who’s going to play the DC Comics man of red and yellow – not The Flash? Well, it could be none other than Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Today, during a visit to the set of Get Smart, Johnson was wide eyed when the very idea was brought up to re-team with director Peter Segal in the feature, Shazam! According to Johnson himself, he’s spoken to Pete about the role. “Yeah, he did. Listen, John August is writing the script and he’s a tremendous writer, and I’ll just wait for the script to come in. But I’d love to work with Pete again, and certainly would want to work with John August. So there’s a strong possibility.
I know I’m going to be shot for saying this… but you know what… I like it. Think about it for a second. The casting of The Rock in this role would be a massive point of distinction from the Man of Steel… that’s a good thing here since I fear the similarities and comparisions between the two characters would be a weakness for the film. And while The Rock is hardly a master thespian… he probably has the most pure explosive and natural charisma of anyone working in movies today. The guy was born to play a superhero role.
It’s ok for a Superhero movie to not be “DARK”. It is ok once in a while to just have a fun comic book movie (without it just being stupid slapstick)… and I think The Rock as Shazam could help that. What do you think?
