David F. Sandberg’s Shazam! won’t hit theaters until next spring, but plans are already being made should the film get a sequel — and for one young star those plans include a huge pay increase for future films.
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Jack Dylan Grazer, who plays Freddy Freeman in Shazam! but may be best known as Eddie in It, will see considerably more than his Shazam! paycheck — double, in fact. According to TMZ, Grazer’s pay for Shazam! includes $150,000 for the role of Freddy Freeman plus up to $200,000 more in box office bonuses as well as a cut of merchandising. If the film gets a sequel, Grazer will earn $400,000 for reprising his role along with up to $300,000 in bonuses. And the deal gets even sweeter. Grazer’s pay and bonuses will double for every additional installment beyond that. If Shazam! were to get a third film, Grazer would make $800,000 plus bonuses.
Of course, all of this is contingent on Shazam! getting sequels to begin with which itself is contingent upon the film being successful. Thus far, little is known about the film, though it was revealed earlier this month that the film is based on Geoff Johns’ New 52 run with the character in comics. When it was announced that Johns was stepping down as DC’s Chief Creative Officer to operate in a more creative role within DC and Warner Bros., the official statement confirmed that he will have a behind-the-scenes role in Shazam!, which is “based on his original graphic novel.”
Fans may not have too much longer to wait to get a first look at the film, either. Last week, Sandberg took to Twitter to share his enthusiasm about San Diego Comic-Con next month, prompting fans to assume that the rumors are true, and that New Line will debut Shazam!‘s first trailer there. Reports are that Warner Bros. will bring Aquaman, Shazam! and Wonder Woman 1984 to the event in various capacities, though Wonder Woman 1984‘s presence is rumored to be just a brief appearance by Gal Gadot and may be a little footage which would make sense considering production only recently began on that film.
Shazam! stars Levi, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Ron Cephas Jones, Grace Fulton, Asher Angel, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Caroline Palmer, and Andi Osho.
Justice League is now on home video. The DCEU continues with Aquaman on December 21, Shazam! on April 5, 2019, Wonder Woman 1984 on November 1, 2019. Cyborg and Green Lantern Corps are still in development, along with numerous other films, but it is not yet clear what impact changes at DC management will have on their timetables for production and release.
