According to the latest DCEU rumor, Shazam! could begin production as soon as this coming February. Announced along with many other titlesShazam has been moving forward at a slow pace for some time. It seemed as though Warner Bros. only placed the date to keep Dwayne Johnson involved as the villainous Black Adam after years going by with him being cast in the role.

Recently, however, the status of the film changed dramatically when David F. Sandberg was announced as director earlier this year. Since Sandberg joined, though, the project has seen little movement -- outside of campaigns for Armie Hammer to play the lead role. Well, it sounds as though things are moving along rather nicely.

The Wrap's Umberto Gonzalez shared a rumor on Shazam today on his Twitter account. While the update didn't concern a possible casting announcement, it still has ramifications on making that decision if he is correct. Based on what he has heard, it sounds like Shazam could start filming early next year in February 2018. [Update: In a conversation on Twitter (posted by Daniel Eliesen), Gonzales states that Johnson is not due to be a part of the Shazam film. This is not an official confirmation, so stay tuned.]

?FREE DCEU TWITTER SCOOP!?

I'm hearing SHAZAM⚡️ goes into production February. Maybe one of today's new DCEU dates could be that film. RT!— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) July 17, 2017

Well this is interesting. #Shazam pic.twitter.com/6QWii61WoT— Daniel Eliesen (@Daniel_Eliesen) July 18, 2017

This is just a rumor at this point, so take the information with a grain of salt -- especially given the sometimes shaky nature of production schedules. If this is the case, then Warners and Sandberg must be making great strides in the development phase, possibly even keeping the film on track for its initial April 2019 release date. There has been no indication that this date will stand (or any dates from the original DC slate for that matter), but if Shazam follows a typical DCEU production cycle, starting next February could put it on target for a late summer/early fall release in 2019. That said, Gonzalez also notes that Shazam could be one of the recently dated DCEU films for 2020 as well.

If production does start seven months from now, it is only a matter of time before we learn more about the film, and also who will be involved. The casting process must be underway or close to it if Warners is interested in starting production next year, so it may not be that much longer before short lists are revealed and the newest DC hero is officially announced. Not only does the studio have to cast Shazam -- and his kid counterpart Billy Batson -- but also figure out what Black Adam's role will be. He may be lined up for a solo movie, too, but could still factor in as a smaller role here. Either way, there are plenty of questions that need to be answered before production begins, but we'll have to wait and see if that will actually be in February.

Next: DC Reportedly Wants To Make 3 to 4 Films a Year

Source: Umberto Gonzalez

Key Release Dates