Festivals - Wondercon 2019 : We were at the Shazam! Panel

By Mulder, Anaheim, Convention Center, 30 march 2019

David F. Sandberg, Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer were present at the Shazam! Wondercon panel.

David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation) directs New Line Cinema’s Shazam!, the origin story that stars Zachary Levi (TV’s Chuck) as the titular DC Super Hero, along with Asher Angel (TV’s Andi Mack) as Billy Batson, and Mark Strong (the Kingsman movies) in the role of Super-Villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana. Peter Safran ( Aquaman, The Conjuring and Annabelle films) serves as the film’s producer.

We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).

Shazam! also stars Jack Dylan Grazer (IT) as Billy’s best friend and ultimate superhero enthusiast, Freddy, part of the foster family that includes Mary, played by Grace Fulton (Annabelle: Creation); Darla, played by Faithe Herman (TV’s This is Us); Eugene, played by Ian Chen (TV’s “Fresh Off the Boat”); and Pedro, played by Jovan Armand (TV’s Hawaii Five-O). Cooper Andrews (TV’s The Walking Dead) and Marta Milans (TV’s Killer Women) play foster parents Victor and Rosa Vasquez, with Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond) as the Wizard.

Firmly set in the DC universe but with his own distinctly fun, family-centric tone, the screenplay is by Henry Gayden, story by Gayden and Darren Lemke. Shazam was created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. Christopher Godsick, Jeffrey Chernov, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia serve as executive producers.
Sandberg’s creative team includes his Annabelle: Creation director of photography Maxime Alexandre, production designer Jennifer Spence, editor Michel Aller and costume designer Leah Butler. A New Line Cinema production, Shazam! is set for release on April 5, 2019. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Synopsis:
Billy Batson, a troubled 14-year-old orphan living in Philadelphia, is set up to move into a new foster home - his seventh in a row - with the Vazquez family and their other five foster kids. One day, Billy gets on a subway car and finds himself transported to a different realm, where an ancient wizard gives him the power to transform into a godlike adult superhero by uttering the word "Shazam!" Billy and his new foster brother Freddy Freeman must learn what Billy's new powers are and how to use them in order to stop the villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana from wielding powers of his own.

Shazam!
Directed by David F. Sandberg
Produced by Peter Safran
Screenplay by Henry Gayden
Story by Henry Gayden, Darren Lemke
Based on Shazam! by Bill Parker, C. C. Beck
Starring Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Faithe Herman, Djimon Hounsou
Music by Benjamin Wallfisch
Cinematography Maxime Alexandre
Edited by Michel Aller
Production companies : New Line Cinema, DC Entertainment, The Safran Company, Mad Ghost Productions
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date : April 5, 2019 (United States), April 3 2019 (France)

Photos : Lauren Sanchez for Mulderville

(Source: press release)