INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Update On ‘Shazam’ Movie Starring Dwayne Johnson — How Will It Fit Into The DC Extended Universe?

By Danny Cox
Published on: 07:08 PST, Aug 14, 2016

A lot of people have already lost faith in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) after Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and now Suicide Squad, but others still have hope. Over the course of the next four years, there will be at least 10 new films released, and one of those is Shazam starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, but does it even have a chance to be good? Will it fit into the DCEU or be out on its own?

After the negative reviews and press for the first two films in the DCEU, Warner Bros. is going to have to do a lot of work to get back in the good graces of the fans. Their next two chances are with Wonder Woman and Justice League next year, which are good restarting points, but they will need any momentum gathered to continue.

Shazam is still a few years off, as it won’t be released until 2019, but there are already questions about its existence in the DC movie universe. Films about characters that a lot of non-comic books may not be overly familiar with could be a risky move.

Dwayne Johnson is going to take on the role of the villain Black Adam, but he will also be involved in a lot behind the scenes, too. Executive producer Dany Garcia recently spoke with Newsweek about the film and said that even though Shazam is a lesser known entity, the movie will still be connected to the DCEU.

“Shazam! is to live in the same world [as the other films] but we have incredible autonomy over this brand and franchise. We are working with a different team, different producers, directors… it’s a different set-up.”

Dawn of Justice was expected to do massive numbers, but it never crossed the billion dollar mark. Suicide Squad started off on a big-time hot streak, but its domestic box office numbers dropped off considerably in Week 2.

As far as being compared to those two films, Garcia is not concerned about Shazam failing and thinks that it helps to learn from previous films in the DCEU.

“We don’t feel fettered by, or constrained by, the successes or failures and challenges of the other projects. That was a key component to our participation—that we be able to control the tone and the voice, and do it the way we want to.”

Warner Bros. has a long list of films to come in the DCEU, and it’s always possible to add another one or two in there to compete with Marvel. The schedule is pretty stacked, though, and if Suicide Squad continues to plummet at the box office, adding more films may not be an option any longer.

2017

June 2: Wonder Woman
November 17: Justice League

2018

March 16: The Flash
July 27: Aquaman
October 5: Untitled DCEU film

2019

April 5: Shazam
June 14: Untitled Justice League Film
November 1: Untitled DCEU Film

2020

April 3: Cyborg
June 19: Green Lantern Corps

Shazam and Black Adam are going to be involved in the full DCEU and live in the same universe as all the other superheroes and villains. Dany Garcia thinks that the time that has to pass before the release of Shazam will actually help it, according to Entertainment Weekly.

“You’ve got Justice League, Wonder Woman with a different director, so you’re going to see different points of view. I think by the time we land with [Shazam!] we’ll fit nicely within the world that’s been created, but not such a shorthand relationship. [It’ll be] enough that people say, ‘Oh, this is within the family,’ but the culture will be a little different.”

Fans have been and are truly excited about Shazam and think that Dwayne Johnson is a great choice for Black Adam, but other movies in the DCEU are hurting that. Making sure the film fits into the universe is a smart idea so that crossovers and mentions can happen for years, but something has to be done with Wonder Woman and Justice League that will bring the fans back around or the franchise won’t even continue.

[Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for MTV]

Share this article: Update On ‘Shazam’ Movie Starring Dwayne Johnson — How Will It Fit Into The DC Extended Universe?
Dwayne Johnson Suicide Squad
More from Inquisitr