Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is commanding the development for the "Shazam!" movie so smoothly that DC Films may be considering one of his frequent collaborators to helm the superhero movie.
Johnson recently had a meeting with DC Entertainment execs and creative head Geoff Johns, and it is presumed that plans for "Shazam!" were being tabled. Following the meeting, Johns followed three new people, which includes director Brad Peyton. According to Cinema Blend, Johnson and Peyton are good friends as they worked together on "San Andreas" and "Journey 2: The Mysterious island." They are also going to team up once again for two more films: "San Andreas 2" and "Rampage."
Although nothing has been set in stone at this point and everything is mere speculation, it is possible that Johnson would pitch Peyton for the directorial position. As of this writing, Johnson is the only cast member confirmed for "Shazam!" He will take on the role of Black Adam, Shazam's evil nemesis. While the search for Shazam is still wide open, some actors have begun to take their campaigns into full swing.
ComicBook.com reports that Theler appears to be expressing his interest in playing the role of Shazam. The "Baby Daddy" star posted a slew of mock-ups of him as the superhero. In one of the photos Theler writes, "#Shazam has always been one of my favorites!" He also posted a photo of him with The Rock, which confirms his connection to the actor.
Shazam's story is more rooted in fantasy and magic. Some of his magically bestowed abilities include superhuman strength and speed, spell-casting and teleportation. At one point, it was rumored that Channing Tatum was dropping Marvel's "Gambit" in order to play Shazam. The rumors started when then-"Flash" director Rick Famuyiwa started following folks working in the DC Universe plus Tatum.
"Shazam!" is expected to hit theaters in 2019.