Actor Zachary Levi, who has already finished shooting for his first ever comic book superhero film Shazam!, has revealed that there was a time when he almost passed on his superhero role.
During a Q&A session at the recently held Baltimore Comic-Con event, Levi opened up about how he finally got the role. He said he already knew that Dwayne Johnson was finalized to play Shazam’s arch-nemesis, Black Adam. So, he auditioned for the role of a supporting character, thinking the filmmakers were in search of someone who has a physique similar to Johnson. Fortunately, his audition tape for the supporting role got the attention of the film’s creative team who finally found their Shazam in him, reported SuperBroMovies.
“I put myself on tape for this other role and the director, producers, and the studio saw it,” Levi said. “And they hadn’t cast their Shazam yet and they said ‘We think that could be our Shazam.'”
The Shazam! actor continued to compare his casting story with that of the origin story of Billy Batson whom the Wizard chooses as his successor.
“I feel like in the same way the Wizard sees in Billy Batson the character that is necessary to be Captain Marvel, Shazam,” Levi said. “I feel like New Line and my director and producers saw in me the character necessary to be this character.”
When Levi was asked when fans can expect to see Shazam take on Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, he said he doesn’t know when the Black Adam solo film is coming out, but, he too is excited to see the two fighting each other.
“I don’t know when they’re going to make that standalone live-action movie but I know that’s the plan,” Levi said. “And I hope that eventually Shazam and Black Adam get to fight each other because I’d like to kick The Rock’s ass.”
Directed by David F. Sandberg, Shazam! also stars Jack Dylan Grazer, Mark Strong, Grace Fulton, Faithe Herman, Jovan Armand, Adam Brody, Marta Milans, Ross Butler, Cooper Andrews, and Ian Chen. The film will debut in theaters on April 5, 2019.
Do you think Zachary Levi is the best choice to play superhero Shazam? Drop off your comments below.
Via: SuperBroMovies
