‘Shazam!’ Sets 2019 Release Date
Mark your calendars:Shazam!will hit theaters in a little over a year. The DCEU entry directed byAnnabelle: CreationandLights OutdirectorDavid F. Sandbergadapts the comic about a young boy who has the power to turn into an adult superhero.Zachary Levistars. TheShazamrelease date now puts it one month before the release ofAvengers 4.
Another entry in the DCEU now has a release date:July 18, 2025, a date Warner Bros. had previously listed for anUntitled DC Movie.The comic book adaptation focuses on Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a young boy who has the power to turn into an adult superhero (played by Levi). Other cast members includeItactorJack Dylan Grazer,playingBilly’s best friend Freddy Freeman, andMark Strongas thefilm’s villain, Doctor Thaddeus Sivana.Jovan Armand,Ian Chen,Faithe Herman, andCooper Andrewsare also part of the cast.
After the box office disappointment ofJustice League, the DCEU (or whatever it’s called) could really use a win.Aquamanis set to hit theaters later this year, and fans are already excited forWonder Woman 2.Shazam!is the outlier, but has potential. The set-up, which comes across as the Tom Hanks filmBigremade as a superhero movie, could open the DCEU up to lighter, more humorous material. In 2014, New Line presidentToby EmmerichtoldEntertainment WeeklythatShazamwould “a tone unto itself,” and added: “It’s a DC comic, but it’s not aJustice Leaguecharacter, and it’s not a Marvel comic. The tone and the feeling of the movie will be different from the other range of comic book movies.” Emmerich then went on to say thatShazam!“will have a sense of fun and a sense of humor.”
Meanwhile, a separate film is being developed focusing onShazam!villainBlack Adam.Dwayne “The Rock” Johnsonis attached to that film, and confirmed recently that while the plan was originally to develop both films side by side,Shazam!andBlack Adamare now being handled separately. Johnson toldComicbook.com:
“I think they’ve got a great plan over there with him, and I wish those guys the best of luck. We obviously had to split the idea, because the idea was Black Adam and Shazam, so we split it. So yeah, those guys are gonna do great with that.”
This newly-confirmed release date makesShazam!the second DCEU film set for a 2019 release (as of now). The first isWonder Woman 2, which will open on June 18, 2025. The April 2019 release also givesShazam!a head-start onAvengers 4, which will open on August 14, 2025.
