Shazam!
SPOILERS forShazam!ahead .
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Shazam!director David F. Sandberg says Henry Cavill was originally think to reprise his role as Superman in the film , but thing did n’t figure out out . The in vogue addition to the DC Extended Universe , Shazam!is already a critical successon its way to turn a hefty net income at the box federal agency . It ’s all the more impressive an accomplishment when you consider that , just a year or so ago , the titular superhero was a comparatively obscure fictional character compared tothe DCEU ’s other solo headlinersup to this point ( Superman , Batman , Wonder Woman , and Aquaman ) ,
utter of the Man of Steel - he and Shazam ! have a long and sometimes tumultuous history in the world of comical Word , go back to Shazam ! ’s clock time as Fawcett Publications ' answer to Superman ( then the mascot of National Comics ) in the previous 1930s and early ' XL . That connexion only helped to fire thelongstanding rumors about Superman having a cameoin theShazam!movie , with either Cavill or someone else playing the function . While the character was ultimatelybrought to biography byShazam!star Zachary Levi ’s stunt doublein the film , that was n’t always the plan .
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Sandberg confirmed that Superman ’s cameo was alway part ofShazam ! ’s screenplay during our interview with him , adding that the Man of Steel"was emphatically something we want to have in there " . In a freestanding interview withInverse , the director add that Cavill was originally supposed to reprize his DCEU function as the character , but was"unavailable"when the crew was filming the scene in enquiry at a genuine school in Toronto ( which was on - holiday at the time ) .
As a refresher : Shazam!concludes with Billy Batson ( Asher Angel ) showing up transformed into Shazam ! and finally defecate good on his promise to sit next tohis foster sidekick Freddy ( Jack Dylan Grazer)at schooling during luncheon . However , when he does , he ’s accompanied by another " supporter " in the form of Superman , who ’s only prove from the neck down to veil the fact that he is n’t Cavill . utter toInverse , Sandberg explained thatCavill ’s Superman was originally going to sit down downand talk to Freddy , but that portion of the sequence was drop when Cavill could n’t make the shoot . And while he admitted he was vex at first that the cameo would feel"cheap"and pass on people feeling"cheated"without Cavill , he mat much better once he saw the scene all bring down together during post - yield :
“ It just made us express joy . You see Freddy ’s reaction , and a hard swing to credits , and it ’s just funny . It turned out better than what it was originally where he sat down and had a little confabulation . ”
While a number of DCEU fans would ’ve no doubtloved to see Cavill back in his drab - and - ruddy Kryptonian suit , Superman’sShazam!cameo arguably plays advantageously the elbow room it ’s presented in the concluding movie . Like Sandberg pointed out , Freddy ’s reaction to learn Superman is a neat punchline to cut to the credit from , and that would n’t have been the case had the scene carried on beyond that . Moreover , the final shooter really capsulise the movie ’s theme about the awe and wonder that superheroes inspire for kids in the DCEU ( and , by proxy , that these characters have for multitude in the real world ) . It ’s a good example of how , sometimes , less really can be more in force , and serves to instance how the DCEU can continue to apply Superman in the time to come , whether Cavill returns to flirt him again or not .
MORE : Shazam ! ’s Ending Sets Up a Very dissimilar DCEU Future
Source : Inverse
