2017 looks promising for Warner Bros. and DC Films with Wonder Woman and Justice League garnering positive buzz thanks to early marketing campaigns. But the studio has been making moves behind the scenes as well to push many other projects forward. Ben Affleck has re-affirmed he is directing The Batman and it was recently announced that writers had been hired for the planned Green Lantern Corps film.

Another project receiving plenty of attention has been Shazam!, starring Dwayne Johnson as the villain Black Adam. After little news outside of fan art of Johnson in the role for years, he and the film's producers have recently teased big announcements are on the horizon. The hiring of a director, or casting of Shazam or Billy Batson would certainly suffice, and it appears Twitter may have revealed a potential frontrunner for the position behind the lens.

Batman-News uncovered an interesting trend by DC Films head Geoff Johns. After meeting with Johnson, Johns followed his producing partners on the social media platform. While that wasn't much of a surprise, Johns also followed a third individual: frequent Johnson collaborator and San Andreas director Brad Peyton.

It is all speculation at this point, but Twitter activity has led to previous DC news breaking in the past. For instance, the announcement of Rick Famuyiwa directing The Flash (prior to leaving) was made thanks to similar Twitter sleuthing. However, more recent activity and speculation suggested Armie Hammer would join the DCEU as Hal Jordan. That, of course, has yet to be announced either (or at all).

Peyton has previously directed Johnson in two films, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and San Andreas, and is attached to direct three of the star's upcoming films: Journey 3: From the Earth to the Moon, San Andreas 2, and Rampage. Only the latter has had any real traction in coming together, so if the other two have fallen out of Johnson's increasingly busy schedule, jumping into the DCEU with him would make sense. Peyton could be part of the "new era" Johnson wants to usher in at DC.

For all anyone knows at this point, Peyton may simply be a producer on the project, considering his relationship with Johnson. However, Johnson's recent meeting with DC appeared to be a productive one. While specific details regarding the meetings are not currently available, the studio expressing interest in bringing Peyton on to helm the untested Shazam! would suggest they were fruitful indeed.

Source: Batman-News