Zach Levi Cast As Shazam

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I have to say: I don’t think there’s been a bigger curveball production in the superhero game lately than Shazam!  For years I, like most people, figured this was one of those DC movie projects that were on the schedule but probably not going to actually happen, more of an announcement to get something on the board than anything else.  Then, out of nowhere, WB announced David F. Sandberg to direct, which seemed odd given he was known largely for the 2016 horror film Lights Out, the latest in WB’s newfound cash cow of low-budget/high-return horror offerings for the summer season. 

Some thought that perhaps Sandberg’s presence meant Shazam! would have a horror aesthetic, sort of in the vein of James Wan’s Aquaman, but as the interviews rolled in and we crept towards the start of production it seemed like it was going to be light-hearted and funny.  Now, finally, we have a star to attach to the vehicle: Zachary Levi will be playing the titular Shazam in the 2019 film. 

Cards on the table- I think this is a terrible choice and I’m not really sure why so many people seem onboard with it.  The biggest selling points seem to be that Levi was good in Tangled and that he’s a major geek himself.  That last reason does make me less inclined to rag on Levi himself, I mean the dude has actively produced whole events at Comic-Con, he’s a pretty cool nerd dude that way. 

But, by the same token, Nic Cage was such a Ghost Rider fan he produced and starred in 2 Ghost Rider movies and they were awful: being a fan of the material doesn’t necessarily make you good for it.  I will say that people coming down on Levi for being too meek are being pretty short-sighted.  The guy is probably already bulking up for the role and I mean, previously Chris Pratt was an overweight guy on Parks and Rec before Starlord and Christian Bale was skeletal in The Machinist prior to Batman Begins. 

No, my concern with Levi is more about the kind of characters he plays or specifically the character of Chuck.  If you don’t, Zac Levi is most famous for two major roles: the roguish hero of Flynn Rider in the animated film Tangled and the titular character in the NBC sitcom Chuck.  Chuck was sort of a loveable man-child and office dweeb who accidentally ended up with a ton of government secrets in his head.  The show lasted a respectable five seasons but has more recently passed into the realm of quasi-remembered media that’s not mainstream enough to have real popularity but not underground enough to have cult status. 

A lot of folks seem to think that Levi’s Shazam will cut closer to Rider in some way though, firstly I’d say there’s no indication of that but more importantly I don’t really think that’s a great look for Shazam.  If you don’t know- Shazam is basically mystical Superman.  He’s the earthbound champion of the powers of Shazam, a set of powers created by combining the names of various Gods of magic.  

He has the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the courage of Achilles, the power of Zeus, the stamina of Atlas, and the speed of Mercury.  The big twist of the character is that his secret identity is a little kid named Billy Batson, chosen by the wizard Shazam as the new acolyte for these powers.  Whenever young Billy says “SHAZAM” he transforms into Shazam, who is basically a little kid’s idea of a grown-up superhero. 

If all that seems dopey and overly complicated it’s because, well firstly it was invented in the ‘40s for children so logic was never really a concern.  Moreover, the character’s original name was Captain Marvel; Shazam is the name of the wizard who gives him his powers.  Unfortunately, because copyright is a thing that old comics weren’t superb at, Marvel Comics now owns the rights to the Captain Marvel name so DC’s Captain Marvel doesn’t get to use it as a title.  It’s a real shame because having the hero and wizard and magic word all be the same thing is actually really hard to explain. 

Anyway, the only thing that’s really important is that Shazam is a little kid who turns into an adult superhero by shouting his own name.  This usually leaves creators in a lurch because there’s no clear guideline on who’s “in charge” after the change.  In some version Shazam is his own unique entity with a mind of his own where he’s basically even more of a good guy than Superman, the idea being that he’s how a child might imagine an ideal adult. 

Other times Shazam is just a big adult body with young Billy’s mind in it.  That version can be pretty hit or miss; sometimes it works by playing on his naïveté and joy for the superhero life like in Justice League Unlimited or JSA but more often than not it ends up used for cheap and unfunny comedy like in the New 52 Shazam material. 

The latter is why I’m nervous about Levi’s casting.  His history playing goofy but loveable man-children out of their depth yet curiously competent would be the perfect fit for a “kid in adult superhero’s body” vision of Shazam that emphasized dumb comedy.  

I’m talking mostly about tired jokes about doing stupid white boy pranks enabled by flight and super strength sort of in the vein of Hancock, Chronicle, or countless other terrible superhero films you forgot existed because they’re bad.  The problem with this set-up is always the same: it creates scenes that would be much more fun to do ourselves than watch someone else do.  The characters laugh at their own actions and the audience is locked out of the joke. 

Worse than that, though, is how this particular style of comedy rubs right up against the worst kind of modern genre: raunchy parody.  I’m calling it now that Shazam! is actually going end up being a PG-13 parody of superheroes by making Billy Batson a “more realistic” 16-year-old with superpowers IE have him get high as Shazam and swear a lot and use his powers to try and get some.  Basically, I’m predicting Shazam will be the Baywatch or CHiPs of this genre, inspired by Deadpool’s massive success.  

They’re already halfway there with The Rock cast as villain Black Adam, a complex anti-hero who applies the brutal tactics of ancient times to modern geopolitics in attempt to defend his homeland that is COMPLETELY outside the Rock’s limited range.  Now that we’ve got Levi onboard it’s easy to imagine this falling into clear and present parody territory. 

Look, I don’t want to be down on this movie- I actually really love Shazam, which is why I’m more nervous about this than most I suspect.  It’s a universal truth that no one whines about something more than a fan and I can accept that going in but there’s a clear line between “not the Shazam I want to see” and “not a good Shazam” and Zachary Levi is right on it.  This movie’s been sending out warning signs from word one and it’d be foolish to just ignore them and hope for the best because you don’t want to be too mean or whatever.  Obviously, I’m willing to be surprised by the movie itself and we’ll see how the first trailers and posters turn out, but when a movie does so much to tell you it’s not going to be good…you should listen to it. 

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