A couple of Fridays ago, we learned that Chuck and Thor: Ragnarok actor Zachary Levi will play Shazam in the upcoming DC Comics movie of the same name. Now, it's been officially announced that Asher Angel will take on the role of Billy Batson, the youngster who transforms into the powerful superhero.
Production is expected to begin early next year and Warner Bros. and New Line have slowly been assembling the cast with Mark Strong set to play the villain and Grace Fulton nabbing a lead role.
Batson becomes Shazam after shouting out his name and that's an acronym of the ancient world gods and historical figures Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury, from which Batson derives his heroic attributes when in adult form. David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation) is directing Shazam! from a screenplay by Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke and it's expected to be released April 2019.
This looks set to be a breakout role for Angel as he's best known for his work on The Disney Channel's Andi Mack. He's made a handful of appearances elsewhere on TV but this is his biggest role to date.