MAJOR SPOILERS for SHAZAM! Consider yourself warned. Whether they originate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DCEU, or elsewhere, comic-book films typically contain more than a few easter-eggs and cameos which tease a larger universe, and SHAZAM! was no exception. Although the film was generally much lighter in tone when compared to its DC predecessors, SHAZAM! still found time for quite a few nods to the other heroes of the DC universe.
At the end of the film, Billy Batson (Angel Asher) showed up at Fawcett High School as Shazam (Zachary Levi) to have lunch with Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), and he brought a certain Man of Steel along with him. Although we never seen his face, the actor playing Superman is wearing Henry Cavill's JUSTICE LEAGUE suit. While speaking with ComicBook.com, SHAZAM! producer Peter Safran said that the original intention was for Cavill to make a proper cameo in this scene.
At one point, we'd hoped it was going to be Cavill doing it, but unfortunately his schedule didn't allow him to do it. We still wanted to do it anyway, and it turned out to be better, because it let us do a hard cut on Freddy's reaction, because if we had Cavill there, we'd actually written lines, they had a dialogue, but then it's a little bit of a hat on hat, because really what it's about is Freddy's reaction, so we got to get out on that.
Perhaps one day it will be revealed just what Superman would have said to Freddy in that scene. Bring us the goods! As it was revealed just yesterday that a SHAZAM! sequel was in the works, perhaps we'll get to see Shazam share the screen with more DC heroes. Henry Gayden, who penned the screenplay for the first film, will be back to script the SHAZAM! sequel, and it's expected that director David F. Sandberg and producer Peter Safran will return as well. Might as well keep the dream team all together.
The official synopsis for SHAZAM!:
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).
SHAZAM! is now playing in theaters, so be sure to check out the full reviews from our own Paul Shirey and Chris Bumbray, as well as let us know what YOU thought of the film.