Director David F. Sandberg has confirmed that Shazam! will be released in April 2019. At the outset of Warner Bros.' DC movie universe, they announced a slate of films out till 2020. Included in this announcement were several dates and films that have since been shifted around or still stuck in development, but one of the biggest surprises has been how quickly Shazam! has pulled together. Since the beginning of this year, Sandberg was announced to be the director and the pre-production process has been in full swing over the last month or so.

Fans are still waiting to see who will be cast in either part of the dual leading roles of Billy Batson and Shazam, but audition tapes have made it clear that the search is on and it should be made soon. With filming scheduled to start early next year, it looked as though Shazam! was on track to hit the old 2019 release. Thankfully (and somewhat surprisingly) that is still the plan.

Sandberg confirmed on Reddit that the film is on track to hit the previously unclaimed Warner Bros. April 2019 release slot. Considering WB's track record with their production schedules for their DC films, this is hardly a huge surprise, but it is great to finally get confirmation on this. Just a few months ago, it was unclear if this movie was even going to happen, so to have it set to hit theaters in a year and a half is welcomed confirmation. He did not specify that the April 5, 2019 date is the definitive date, so things could still shift a bit, but it looks like this will be the film's actual release date after all.

With this release date now confirmed, it will put Warner Bros. closer to being on their hopeful track of releasing three DC films a year. They've released two in a calendar year once before in 2016 with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, and will do so again this year with Wonder Woman and Justice League. 2018 will be a slower year with only Aquaman hitting theaters before 2019 comes back strong with Shazam! to start the year and Wonder Woman 2 closing it out.

Still, it is rather surprising the prominence in the DC slate that Shazam! has received, coming before solo movies for Batman, Flash, Cyborg, and the Green Lanterns to name a few. However, all indications are that Shazam! will significantly shake up the tone of the DC universe with Sandberg aiming for DC's lightest film yet. The character lends itself to that tone and the comedic sensibilities Sandberg has infused the film with - as evident by the audition tapes.

Shazam! will firmly be part of the DC continuity and some have even wondered if Henry Cavill's Superman will make an appearance after his Justice League revival. He would make a great mentor for the young but powerful hero and give the character a chance to explore lighter tones than he has so far. But, with potentially the entire Marvel Family in playShazam! should be able to embrace the fun, and it won't be too long now before it hits theaters.

NEXT: Shazam Adds Annabelle 2 Crew Members

Source: David F. Sandberg

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