Shazam Zachary Levi Is Shazam

[Lone]

I would think landing a superhero role would be a godsend for actors. I mean, you’re getting paid to get into ridiculous shape when you otherwise wouldn’t.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

yeah but they probably don't like the diet restrictions, i'm sure their partners aren't complaining though

The paycheck and career boost are pretty good motivations I think.

 

[honestbharani]

It's like when I watch Game of Death and I think to myself, "No way can Bruce actually beat Kareem. He's just too small."

Jokes aside, Cena is a genuinely talented guy, but his casting would've turned this into a WWE event. I'm not into that. I'm glad they went with someone removed from that. Levi is gonna kill it.

I'd like to see Cena do something else down the line though.

Cena is horrible, sorry but he just is. He’s fine in comedies and such but he couldn’t carry a film as the lead. Those WWE movies he did were awful and in part because of his horrible performances. Cena could improve sure but he isn’t right for this role. It’s just typical fan cast he looks the part so he’s right without actually considering what the role actually requires. Thank god Sandberg saw sense.

Casting him would have made the eventual Shazam vs Black Adam film into a WWE media circus aswell.

As for the Rock been bigger Levi can put the muscle on. Sure the Rock will be bigger but that’s good, you want the villain to look more menacing.

Chris Hemsworth was actually pretty slim before Thor. Check him out in Aussie soap opera Home and Away. Hemsworth bulked up for Thor. This isn't the eighties or nineties in which muscle bound leading men were mostly played by guys who could barely act. Most male actors bulk up for superhero movies.

Personally seeing John Cena vs the Rock would just take me out of the movie. I would have a hard time seeing them together without thinking of their wrestling personas and feud.

Come on guys.. A Black Adam Concert dissing Shazam???

A Shazam Freestyle dissing Black Adam? Can you not see the script for the movie writing itself? t:



Seriously, though, I genuinely think Cena has the chops to play the man-child role and its not like he sucks at pulling off goofy funny. He is genuinely good at it and its not based on the WWE movies, its based on his actual WWE persona, and I think Shazam would have been closer to his WWE gimmick as such.


Note that I did not doubt Levi's casting anyways as I do feel he has the comedy chops for the role, even from his brief scenes in TDW.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

 

[elgaz]

I think it's great casting and fully behind it.

As long as he's committed, Levi should have no problem bulking up with the studio financing a professional trainer to help him get there - other actors have done it successfully so no reason he can't. Look at the before and after, most of these guys were on the slim side before playing their superhero roles!

 

[Iceman]

It can be done, of course. Glad he mentioned the gym straightaway.

 

[Sawyer]

I think it's great casting and fully behind it.

As long as he's committed, Levi should have no problem bulking up with the studio financing a professional trainer to help him get there - other actors have done it successfully so no reason he can't. Look at the before and after, most of these guys were on the slim side before playing their superhero roles!

I have the ultimate one:

Spoiler

 

[Boom]

I have the ultimate one:

Spoiler

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

They're projecting themselves into the situation....they want to be a superhero but don't want to spend the time in the gym, and naturally assume the actors don't either.

Oh I don’t know, I would quite happily get paid a large sum of money to be in the gym every day and get in amazing shape.

Heck, I PAY to go the gym and still go 3 times a week.

 

[terry78]

Oh I don’t know, I would quite happily get paid a large sum of money to be in the gym every day and get in amazing shape.

Heck, I PAY to go the gym and still go 3 times a week.

3 times a week? Get your head in the game, bro.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

3 times a week? Get your head in the game, bro.

I play football (soccer for the Americans) once, sometimes twice, a week outside also. So it’s not JUST the gym .

 

[chamber-music]

David Harbour has got into shape to play Hellboy as well recently.

Even JK Simmons got randomly buff last year which yead to the Gym Gordon meme

 

[Brian Braddock]

Nah, Dave Harbour's Hellboy is all muscle suit prosthetics, ala Ron Perlman; albeit with better, more advanced make-up tech. Photo's I've seen of Harbour out of make-up he doesn't look any different than usual. J.K. Simmons though - yeah, crazy buff with Gym Jones.

Lets be honest - who here doesn't love a good actor/actress body transformation for a role? Bale, Hemsworth, Evans, Momoa, Pratt, hell, even Matthew Fox for Alex Cross - its really interesting to see stuff like that. Think Levi [being of the same geeky persuasion as ourselves most likely appreciates the same on our level as well and obviously, going by his words, realizes the need for it.

#excited.

 

[Dark Raven]

I don't hate the casting...I just feel like he isn't what I envisioned? I was expecting someone bigger and bulkier.

Well, once he bulks up, he will be very imposing. He's about 6'4" so he'll tower over Henry Cavill. I don't see why he can't add muscle. The only thing is that once he does so, he probably won't be able to go back to playing Chuck-type roles anymore because then he'll look like an action hero. He stood taller than Lou Ferrigno when he guest-starred on Chuck (and Lou was meant to be 6'5" - I don't know what happened to his height).

BTW, is he going to be called Shazam in this movie or is that just the name of the movie and he'll be called Captain Marvel? But I can't imagine that will fly at all with Marvel's Captain Marvel coming out the same year.

 

[Boom]

They should call him Captain Marvel in the film. Hard for him to call himself by the very word that would just transform him right back into a child. He needs a proper name. Marvel and their fans will just need to get the **** over it.

As for Levi bulking up, I don't know how many times we have to see actors get in ridiculous shape in short periods of time before fans stop fretting about this sort of thing. He has three and a half months, and Hollywood's finest trainers and nutritionists at his disposal. It's a non-issue.

 

[MbJ]

They should call him Captain Marvel in the film. Hard for him to call himself by the very word that would just transform him right back into a child.

They already solved that a few years back. He can only transform if he says "Shazam!" with the actual mental intent to change. If he's just saying "My name is Shazam," or "Call me Shazam," it doesn't work.

 

[Boom]

But then they have to go through the trouble of explaining that in the film, when they can simply call him Captain Marvel and be done with it.

 

[chamber-music]

Nah, Dave Harbour's Hellboy is all muscle suit prosthetics, ala Ron Perlman; albeit with better, more advanced make-up tech. Photo's I've seen of Harbour out of make-up he doesn't look any different than usual. J.K. Simmons though - yeah, crazy buff with Gym Jones.

I said Harbour got into shape not that he got buff. I know he is wearing a muscle suit but Harbour still worked out and lost weight for the role.

[YT]/xriv9EFmxCU[/YT]

 

[MbJ]

But then they have to go through the trouble of explaining that in the film, when they can simply call him Captain Marvel and be done with it.

That doesn't sound like something that'd be very hard to explain. "If you want to transform, say 'Shazam' while thinking about transforming. That's the only way it works." "Okay."

 

[Boom]

Still feels needless to me.

 

[Powerman34]

Maybe they could call him something a little more abstract. Like in Kingdom Come the Spectre told the preacher that he was the Captain if Lightning and Thunder! Plus I’m not 100% sure but I don’t think they can use the name anymore in current media only from prior to the when dc lost the that name in court.

 

[Dark Raven]

They should call him Captain Marvel in the film. Hard for him to call himself by the very word that would just transform him right back into a child. He needs a proper name. Marvel and their fans will just need to get the **** over it.

As for Levi bulking up, I don't know how many times we have to see actors get in ridiculous shape in short periods of time before fans stop fretting about this sort of thing. He has three and a half months, and Hollywood's finest trainers and nutritionists at his disposal. It's a non-issue.

Well no. That won't happen. Marvel own all the IP rights to the name and character Captain Marvel. It's all to do with business and legality. Shazam calling himself Captain Marvel falls into the law of passing off, trademark infringement, copyright etc. I don't think DC want all these legal complications with their property. It's just not worth it for them.

Otherwise, why doesn't another studio create a property and call their character Hulk or Spider-Man and just say that Marvel and their fans will have to get over it?

 

[Boom]

Well no. That won't happen. Marvel own all the IP rights to the name and character Captain Marvel. It's all to do with business and legality. Shazam calling himself Captain Marvel falls into the law of passing off, trademark infringement, copyright etc. I don't think DC want all these legal complications with their property. It's just not worth it for them.

Otherwise, why doesn't another studio create a property and call their character Hulk or Spider-Man and just say that Marvel and their fans will have to get over it?

My understanding is that WB/DC cannot use "Captain Marvel" as a title, but referring to the character as such within the context of a story is fair game.

 

[MbJ]

They can call him Captain Marvel within the film itself, they just can't use it as the title or market him as such. That, plus the fact that a lot of the audience assumed that was his name anyway (thanks to the old kid's show from the 70's) is why DC just gave up and officially changed his name to Shazam in the comics. It's the simplest course at this point.

 

[elgaz]

I don't see it being an issue really?

I mean, Man Of Steel didn't have the word 'Superman' anywhere in the title. Didn't stop people from knowing what it was, trailers/media/word of mouth will do that.

DC renamed the character Shazam for the New 52, and that's obviously how they want to progress forward. Rather than trying to find a way to fit in the old name to please some fans, and perhaps open up a whole can of legal worms, I would guess that they're going to full embrace the Shazam name even more and use the movie's far-reaching potential to showcase that name and make it the only one that new fans know.