It might be a while until DC Comics fans see get to see Shazam! on the big screen, but we just might have learned who could be playing the iconic lead role.
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A new report from That Hashtag Show hints at two possible candidates to play the older, superpowered version of Billy Batson. According to their sources, John Cena and Joshua Sasse are the tenative frontrunners for the part. The film’s previously rumored screentests have reportedly spawned “a third, dark horse contender” for the lead role, but they have “seemingly fallen out of favor”.
While many recognize Cena from his wrestling career, he has since made a jump into acting with scene-stealing appearances in films like Trainwreck and Sisters. He since has expanded his filmography to starring roles in the animated movie Ferdinard and the currently-filming Bumblebee spinoff film. As many DC fans will already know, Cena has been a popular fancast for Shazam for quite some time, mainly as a pairing to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s role as Black Adam.
Sasse, on the other hand, is much more of an unknown than Cena – but it isn’t too hard to see him as the DC Comics hero. The actor is best known for playing the title role in ABC’s musical-comedy series Galavant, and starring in The CW’s apocalyptic dramedy No Tomorrow. With Shazam! reportedly featuring a very lighthearted, comedic tone, Sasse certainly has plenty of experience in that realm.
It’s too early to tell if Cena or Sasse will end up getting the lead role of Shazam!, but director David F. Sandberg did hint that official casting could be announced soon. With the film officially in pre-production, DC fans can hopefully expect some answers in the near future.
Shazam! was originally slated for an April 5, 2019 release date. No additional update about release date has been provided.
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