There’s a rumor going around that at some point Dwayne Johnson will be playing Shazam in an upcoming motion picture. Shazam was formerly called Captain Marvel, because that was his name, but people were confused because Captain Marvel kept shouting Shazam while other Captains Marvel, heroes mighty and numerous enough to name a comic book publisher after, did not. Shazam assumes the power of several Judeo-Greco-Roman mythological men when he cries out the name of a creepy older man. Since the main character is a young boy who suddenly has the power to punch out bad guys, it is the best argument against the theory that comic books are merely adolescent power fantasies: Captain Marvel is a pre-adolescent power fantasy.
I anticipate watching Dwayne Johnson playing a goofy kid who, like Tom Hanks before him, becomes Big (and can fly, etc.).
Edit: fine, I changed the thread title to more accurately reflect reality.
So they’ve actually renamed the character now? Last account I had he was still Captain Marvel but his comic was titled Shazam to avoid confusion. Not a fan of renaming the character, in part because I like his supporting cast and Mary Shazam just doesn’t sound right (to say nothing of Shazam, Jr., Uncle Shazam, Hoppy the Shazam Bunny, and so forth).
You know, Johnson has absolutely the right physicality to play Black Adam, also a member of the Marvel family, and one of the best villains in the DC universe. Do you know that he’s been cast as Batson?
Well, Black Adam is some kind of ancient Egyptian, I think. The Rock is vaguely ethnic, in some way. Based purely on physical resemblance, yeah, The Rock looks more like Black Adam than Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel looks Patrick Warburton (although a lot of that is probably down to Alex Ross’s version of Captain Marvel, because everyone Alex Ross draws sorta looks like Patrick Warburton).
And the Rock is vaguely threatening by default, I always thought, which is Black Adam all over. Marvel is supposed to have a childlike naivete. Not to say he can’t pull it off, but I would think Adam would be an easier sell.
I hadn’t ever thought of it before, but Warburton as Captain Marvel would be amazing. However, I’m not opposed to the Rock…I think he can be goofy and easygoing just fine.
I just mentioned it elsewhere, but check out Southland Tales sometime for a different version of the Rock than you normally see; his amnesiac self is timid, shy, and very uncertain, and he pulls it off about as well as can be expected for what’s otherwise a thoroughly weird/terrible/awesome movie. He’s got a little more range than I think people give him credit for.