Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been circling a DC film role for quite some time now, and even confirmed back in March that he had met with Warner Brothers about it. Fans have, of course, offered up plenty of speculation about who he could be playing, ranging from Green Lantern to Lobo, as well as characters like Black Adam, Doomsday, Darkseid, and the former Captain Marvel, Shazam.
In a new interview with Total Film, Johnson said that an official announcement regarding his role is imminent (this week’s Comic-Con, anyone?), and dropped a huge hint that points toward Shazam:
“I will say this. There’s a character out there that we’re going to announce very soon that I’m going to play, and I’ll just say this… this character has the power of Superman, he can throw down. Just say the word. That all I’m going to say.”
Luckily for fans, that’s all Johnson needs to say, because hidden in that vague comment is one sentence that has sent the internet reeling: “Just say the word.”
So, we all agree that “the word” is “Beetlejuice,” right? Wait, that’s not right… No, the word, of course, is “SHAZAM!” the magical word that allows young Billy Batson to get struck by lightning and transform into a musclebound hero with the powers of flight, super-strength, speed, and the Power of Zeus, which grants him the ability to create and control lightning.
With rumors of DC’s upcoming film lineup pointing toward a Shazam film hitting theaters after Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the recent push to re-introduce and revitalize the character in the comics, Johnson’s comments couldn’t come at a more opportune time. Now we just have to sit back and impatiently wait until Comic-Con to find out what “the word” really is.
What do you think of Dwayne Johnson’s comment? Would you like to see him as Shazam? Let us know in the comments!