Zachary Levi Originally Didn't Want to Audition for SHAZAM!

It is hard to imagine a world where Zachary Levi does not play the role of Shazam. With all the ads and social media reminders as well as news articles about Shazam! it has cemented Levi as Shazam for better or worse. At least until Warner Bros. and DC reboot the movie in 10 years. However, there was a good chance that we were never going to have him as the 14-year old superhero in a grown man’s body. Producer Peter Safran recently talked to CB about the fact that Levi originally turned down the offer to audition for the role before changing his mind months later.

“It was a very easy casting decision once we saw his tape but it is worth noting that initially 2 months before that we had gone to him and he had passed. And he just did because he didn’t believe that he would ever be cast for that role. So he just said, ‘I don’t want to run tape for it.’

As the story goes, Levi eventually changed his mind and would go on to join the ranks of big-screen superheroes. “He sent it in on a Friday. He self-taped, he was back on the east coast, self-taped on his phone. Sent it in and I think by Monday we had him in LA testing and on Tuesday got the role. Zach is this character. Zach is a 14-year-old boy trapped in a super hero’s body. And he would acknowledge that, I’m not saying anything he would not say about himself. He’s a kid and it was just so perfect when we saw what he did with the audition and he kinda bought that every single day to being Shazam.

It was a very difficult shooting condition. We shot in Toronto, in the winter, night exteriors for weeks on end and he just brought to it an enthusiasm that never waned ever.”

I am personally thankful that Levi changed his mind and I think he’s perfect for the role. He is one of the reasons I am genuinely excited for Shazam!. You can see Levi play the superhero on April 5, 2019.