With the rather recent announcement that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would play be playing the villainous "Black Adam" in an upcoming film adaptation of DC Comics "Shazam," I thought it would be interesting to give some thoughts on who should actually play the "big red cheese," Shazam himself.
I find it odd that the villain was cast before the hero in this case, but the Rock is perfect to play the Egyptian madman who was originally gifted with the powers of Shazam, although recent iterations of the Black Adam character have cast him more in the corrupted anti-hero mold who is only seeking to "clear his name." We'll see how he is depicted on the big screen, but Johnson himself has already hinted (via Twitter) that his version of Adam will be more of the anti-hero.
For the uninitiated, Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam, is a fictional, DC Comics superhero who was originally the property of the now defunct Fawcett Comics. He is the alter ego of Billy Batson, a 12-year-old orphan boy who, by speaking the magic word "Shazam," can transform himself into a costumed man with the power of six mythological figures (Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury, hence the acronym/word "Shazam").
There's a similar list over at Comicbook.com that has five pretty random choices for the role (although Patrick Warburton is an interesting choice...doubt he could play it straight though). My colleagues in the field need to think bigger and bolder, as if they were truly Hollywood casting agents and producers. So here are my five choices for the role; I think any of these guys could go up against the Rock on the big screen without any problems.
Zac Efron
About three or four months ago, I would have laughed at myself for putting Zac on this list, but then I saw him in "Neighbors." He was very good (and very ripped) in that film. Yeah, I know he's a dark horse to play a superhero, but his presence alone would put teen/tween girls' butts in seats to see this flick. Don't ever underestimate that superpower...
Matt Bomer
Bomer was seriously considered to be the next Superman...a part that Henry Cavill ultimately won. "Shazam" was originally created to be Fawcett's version of "Superman," so why not? He definitely looks the part, having the jawline and body for a super-heroic role. I could see him rocking Shazam's red tights.
Matt Damon
Hey, if Ben Affleck can be Batman, then Matt Damon can be Shazam. Plus, Damon already kicked much ass in an action hero role as Jason Bourne. And don't think that he an Affleck haven't discussed something like this for years now...
Jake Gyllenhaal
People forget that when Tobey Maguire started messing around and playing fast and loose with his "Spider-Man" role, the studio seriously considered replacing him with Gyllenhaal. I think Jake takes himself a little bit too seriously these days to play this part, but he definitely would bring an overall gravitas to this role that would be something special.
Channing Tatum
Tatum has done just about everything a leading man in Hollywood can do these days, and he's done it well. He's done action, comedy, romance, drama, dancing...so why not a super hero film? You cannot tell me that an epic, super-powered fight scene between Tatum and the Rock wouldn't just blow people's minds. That would be worth the price of admission alone, I think.
BONUS! If they were making this film 15 years ago, the perfect person to have played Shazam would have been...
Bruce Campbell
Is there any question here, really? Bruce would have been fantastic in this role. No doubt. He always brings a deft amount of schmaltz and seriousness to his roles...and that would have been perfect for "Shazam." Too bad it's not 15 years earlier...
