Is San Andreas Director Brad Peyton Eying Dwayne Johnson's Shazam?
DC Films is laying out an ambitious agenda in 2017; the studio will be launching two pivotal [...]
DC Films is laying out an ambitious agenda in 2017; the studio will be launching two pivotal tentpoles (Wonder Woman and Justice League), while simultaneously trying to reverse the negative perception that has hounded the DC Extended Universe movies.
Helping to lead the charge for the "new era" of DC Films is none other than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who has been signed on to play DC Comics villain Black Adam in the upcoming Shazam! movie. As one of social media's more influential stars, Johnson has been using his platform to hype a more optimistic and adventurous set of DC movie experiences to come.
It's easy to see how Shazam! could be part of that new wave: The film follows a DC Comics hero who is basically a magical version of Superman - only with the caveat that our hero shares a body with a young teenage (or younger) kid. That kind of premise leaves a lot of room for a tale of heroism, optimism, and childlike wonder, which would be perfect for the whole family to enjoy. When it comes to the question of a director who can bring that sort of experience to movie audiences, we may now have a name to consider: Batman Movie News has put clues together that point to Dwayne Johnson's San Andreas director Brad Peyton helming Shazam!
Batman News points to what has become a proven trend amongst DC Films casting and creative appointments: Twitter follows.
Dwayne Johnson had a highly publicized (and apparently productive) meeting with DC Films and creative head Geoff Johns recently; afterward, there were some new Twitter follows established, including Johnson's producing partners and director Brad Peyton.
This is by no means a concrete announcement, but is something worth keeping an eye on. Peyton has worked with Johnson on San Andreas, and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, as well as directing the franchise sequel Cats & Dogs 2. In short: he knows family-brand movie entertainment that would be perfect for a film like Shazam!
MORE: Dwayne Johnson Shares Superman vs. Black Adam Fan Art / How Justice League Will Be Different Than Batman V Superman /Chuck Roven On How Wonder Woman Is Different From Justice League / WB Producer Explains Stepping Back From DC Films / Wonder Woman Steals Her Weapon In Brand New Movie Photo / 5 Characters We Want To See In Batman / Green Lantern Rumored For Justice League / Justice League: One Year Until Release Day / Zack Snyder Reveals New Look At Wonder Woman In Justice League
