Zachary Levi Is Still Shocked He Got The Role Of ‘Shazam!’

Must have been a jolt!

Black Adam Dwayne Johnson Zachary Levi Shazam

Zachary Levi has revealed that he is still shocked that he got the role of Shazam! following Dwayne Johnson’s casting as Black Adam.

The story of Dwayne Johnson’s road to Black Adam is one that can be a bit frustrating. The actor was originally rumored to be making an appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as an unknown character. It was eventually revealed that that character would be Black Adam and would make his debut in Zachary Levi’s Shazam! This also changed with the actor getting his own film that suffered from numerous delays due to Dwayne Johnson’s busy schedule and the Covid-19 pandemic. But the way Levi tells it, he’s still genuinely shocked he got the role of Shazam! after Dwayne Johnson was cast as Black Adam.

Last year, Zachary Levi opened up about his fears about losing the role of Shazam! Specifically, he cited how much bigger Dwayne Johnson was than him. In a more recent interview with James Corden, he revealed that he was still shocked he didn’t lose the role, thinking that after casting Dwayne Johnson, Shazam! should have gone to someone like John Cena:

“I’m still shocked I got the job, honestly. I know that The Rock was playing Black Adam – who in the comic book is basically like the twin of Shazam – like the Bizarro version. And I was like, ‘I’m not getting a shot. No. I am not the twin of The Rock; I thought this was a John Cena thing. But fortunately, I was just an adult that never grew up inside, and so they thought I was their man. And I’m really hoping they don’t change their mind after the sequel.”

You can see the full interview below:

Here is the official synopsis for Zachary Levi’s first Shazam! movie:

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 quick.

Directed by David F. Sandberg, Shazam! stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Grace Fulton, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans, and Djimon Hounsou.

Shazam! is available on Digital HD, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD, while Fury of the Gods will hit theaters on June 2, 2023.

Source: YouTube

Trey Griffeth

Trey Griffeth

Lover of video games, comics, and movies! Writer of all things that involve them!