'Guardians of the Galaxy' Star Djimon Hounsou Cast As Shazam's Wizard

Guardians of the Galaxy star Djimon Hounsou is jumping into the DC pool next year, as he now joins the cast of Shazam!.

Hounsou will be playing the part of the Wizard, the ancient guardians of magic who is seeking a successor. The Wizard has defended Ancient Egypt from evil for over 3000 years and passes his powers on to Billy Batson, who becomes a superhero when he says the world SHAZAM (via EW).

The part was originally attached to Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us), but evidently, there was a scheduling conflict and he was unable to play the part. Shazam! has actually already concluded, so Hounsou has already filmed his parts, though the casting was never officially announced until now.

Marvel fans are well aware of Hounsou, who played the role of Korath in the original Guardians of the Galaxy. Ironically Hounsou will also be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe come 2019, as he is returning for next year's Captain Marvel.

Shazam! is directed by David F. Sandberg and stars Zachary Levi (Shazam), Mark Strong (Dr. Thaddeus Sivana), Djimon Hounsou (The Wizard), Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy Freeman), Asher Angel (Billy Batson), Grace Fulton (Mary Bromfield), Ross Butler, Adam Brody, and Michelle Borth.

You can find the official description for Shazam! below.

"We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong)."

Next up for DC is Aquaman, which lands in theaters on December 21st. Shazam! is slated to hit theaters on April 5, 2019, while Wonder Woman 2 hits theaters on November 1 2019.

What do you think about the latest Shazam! casting? Let us know in the comments!