‘Shazam!’ Is the Next DCEU Movie Heading Into Production

Justice League is arriving this fall and James Wan is currently in production on Aquaman, and although we’re likely to get an official announcement regarding the Wonder Woman sequel at Comic-Con this weekend, there are some lingering questions about Warner Bros.’ DCEU plans — namely, what’s next on the schedule? According to a new report, that’d be Shazam!, as the studio has set the long-developing superhero project as the next movie to begin filming.

Per THR, Shazam! will begin filming sometime in January or February of 2018 for a tentative 2019 release. David Sandberg, the director behind Lights Out and the upcoming Annabelle: Creation, will helm the film, which is being produced over at WB’s sister company, New Line Cinema. Based on the classic DC Comics character, the story follows Billy Batson, an ordinary man who becomes the eponymous hero when he’s granted extraordinary abilities. Dwayne Johnson has long been rumored for the role of Shazam! villain Black Adam, but not long ago we learned that WB decided that the actor’s star power made the antagonist worthy of his own solo film. There’s no word on when we might expect the Black Adam movie, but given Johnson’s inhumanly busy schedule, it may be a while.

WB has plenty of DCEU projects in the works, including a Cyborg movie starring Ray Stevens, and The Flash, starring Ezra Miller. The latter has already lost a couple of directors, including Rick Famuyiwa, who recently exited over creative differences. Although it was rumored that WB was hoping to get Phil Lord and Chris Miller back on the project following their departure from the Han Solo spinoff, The Flash is still without a director. And with Ezra Miller committed to filming Fantastic Beasts 2 this year, it seems like WB has put Barry Allen’s solo adventure on the back burner for now.

We’re sure to hear more about WB’s DCEU plans during their panel at Comic-Con this Saturday, so check back then!