Production has officially begun on New Line's upcoming Shazam! movie.
The film will be an origin story of the DC hero, who's played by Zachary Levi. Thanks to an ancient wizard (Ron Cephas Jones), by simply saying "Shazam!" a 14-year-old foster boy named Billy Batson, played by Asher Angel, can transform into the adult superhero. In the movie, Earth's Mightiest Mortal will have to thwart the evil efforts of the villainous Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong).
The cast of Shazam! also includes Jack Dylan Grazer as Billy’s best friend, Freddy. He's part of a foster family, parented by Victor (Cooper Andrews) and Rosa Vasquez (Marta Milans). Other members of the foster family include Mary (Grace Fulton), Darla (Faithe Herman), Eugene (Ian Chen), and Pedro (Jovan Armand).
Principal photography for the movie, which is primarily set in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is taking place in Toronto.
Peter Safran (Aquaman, The Conjuring) is serving as the film's producer, while Christopher Godsick, Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, Hiram Garcia, and Jeffrey Chernov are all on board as executive producers.
Shazam! is being helmed by Annabelle: Creation director David F. Sandberg. The film will be released in theaters on April 5, 2019. In the meantime, check out our detailed overview of everything you need to know about Shazam.
Alex Osborn is a freelance writer for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @alexcosborn.