Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a guy who likes to play by his own rules, and Shazam!, which co-stars Rock as the villainous Black Adam, definitely isn’t your typical DC comics movie. Ever since the project was announced back in 2014, it’s been unclear how (or even if) the film will tie into the wider DC Extended Universe, and the movie’s producers have admitted they’re looking to Marvel Studios’ output for inspiration.
Well, Johnson’s producing partner, Dany Garcia, recently stepped in to clarify how Shazam! will fit in with other DC movies:
“Shazam! is to live in [the DC Extended Universe], but we have incredible autonomy over this brand and franchise. We are working with a different team, different producers, directors…it’s a different set-up.”
That quote kind of makes it sound like Garcia is trying to distance Shazam! from the rest of DC’s output, which wouldn’t be that shocking given the reviews Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad have received. According to Garcia, however, the trials and tribulations of these DC films is no sweat off their backs:
“We don’t feel fettered by, or constrained by, the successes or failures and challenges of the other projects. That was a key component to our participation—that we be able to control the tone and the voice, and do it the way we want to. You’ve got Justice League, Wonder Woman with a different director, so you’re going to see different points of view. I think by the time we land with Shazam! we’ll fit nicely within the world that’s been created, but not such a shorthand relationship. The culture will be a little different.”
Apparently Shazam! is still in the early writing stages, but The Rock and company still have a few years to pull everything together. Hopefully Warner Bros. really does keep their fingers out of the project and allow Johnson’s team to do their thing. If Wonder Woman and Justice League also get skewered, they’ll really need Shazam! to save their bacon.
Shazam! is scheduled to hit theaters April 5, 2019.
(Via Newsweek)
