July 20th marks a special day on the industry’s calendar, as it heralds the official start of San Diego Comic-Con 2017 and with it, an avalanche of news, trailers, and megaton announcements from the world of film.
On the Warner Bros. lot, this year’s SDCC is shaping up to be one for the ages. With Justice League and Aquaman already locked in, not to mention rumors of Wonder Woman 2, the studio’s lineup has already left comic book fans (ourselves included) twitching with excitement, and if sources close to The Hollywood Reporter are to be believed, the long-brewing Shazam film may make an appearance when the lights go down in Hall H on Saturday, July 22nd.
Per THR, sources close to Warner Bros. and New Line claim that Shazam is eyeing a production start in early 2018 – January or February is the alleged window – which would place David Sandberg’s DC standalone pic on course for a release in 2019. This is by no means the first time that Sandberg’s origin movie has been pegged for a 2018 start, so we’re inclined to believe that the Powers That Be will make things official at the Warner Bros. SDCC panel in two days’ time.
Perhaps that announcement will also bring some casting news, too? At the time of writing, the titular role of William Joseph “Billy” Batson remains vacant, though if Dwayne Johnson has his way, Warner Bros. may select Armie Hammer for the gig. Johnson, who is currently attached to produce and star in a Black Adam movie, does hold a small degree of creative leverage in the DC Extended Universe, so it’ll intriguing to find out if WB takes heed of the actor’s requests. However, it’s worth noting that his anti-hero has ostensibly been ruled out of Shazam.
So, there you have it; Shazam may well be with us in 2019. Justice League, meanwhile, has been booked in for a release on November 17th of this year, and you can readily expect an avalanche of DC-related announcements to begin pouring online over the coming days.