SHAZAM Movie Put on Hold Indefinitely
Thanks to Man of Steel it doesn't look like we'll be seeing that feature film adaptation of Shazam happening anytime soon! Grudge Match director Peter Segal was developing the project alongside DC Entertainment years ago, and in a recent interview with Comingsoon he said the project has been put on hold indefinitely now that the Superman franchise has been successfully rebooted.
"Shazam has always lived this tortured life going against Superman. This dates back to the 1930s. Because Captain Marvel had similar powers to Superman, the DC folks back then sued what was the most popular comic book on the stands at that time. Years later, they bought it and it became a DC property but, as long as Superman stays hot in the market place, there seems like a little bit of a crossover between the two characters. After Bryan Singer's 'Superman Returns,' it seemed like there was a moment in time where Shazam was going to see the light of day. That's when you heard those stories. Now that Superman is being invigorated and going up against Batman, I think it's difficult for DC to figure out how to launch this character in the wake of Superman's resurgence"
The director went on to explain his take on the superhero character, saying,
"At its core, it's a lot like Superman. There's this boy trapped inside of a superhero's body. He's still a boy inside, so there's this opportunity to play a lot of humor with the action. Originally, Stan Lee brought me Fantastic Four a number of years ago for that very reason. I always have the question when people bring me superhero properties, 'Why me?' With Stan, he said, 'It's because there's a sense of humor within all Marvel characters.' These characters are flawed and, within those flaws, there is humor. When [producer] Toby Emmerichcame to me with Shazam, it was because of those same reasons. To draw from that humor and to mix it with great action and pathos. I've always loved Shazam, but I don't know if it's going to see the light of day anytime soon."
I like Shazam, and it would be great to see him get his day on the big screen. One day maybe it will happen, but it doesn't sound like it's going to be any time soon.