At a time when the DCEU is in a state of confusion concerning its key characters of Superman and Batman, the upcoming origin story soon to be told in Shazam! about a 14-year-old foster kid turned full-fledged superhero played by Zachary Levi is an especially exciting one. After a string of reboots for more recognizable characters over the decades, it's refreshing to see this one get its first onscreen debut. With just five months left before release, Shazam! is reportedly going back into production for a short time starting next month.
According to Production Weekly, Shazam! is returning to Toronto from November 1 through 18 for an additional three weeks of photography. While word of reshoots often have a bad reputation for films, such as there being something wrong with the movie or script, for big-budget superhero films such as this, reshoots are pretty routine.
Avengers 4, which is coming out about a month after Shazam! just wrapped on reshoots earlier this month. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige even recently talked about this misconception, explaining that filmmaking is a collaborative process that is constantly changing until release.
That said, Warner Bros' DCEU isn't quite the well-oiled machine that Disney's Marvel has become within the decade of MCU releases. The DCEU has seen a rockier start with its superhero line up with often with mixed success, apart from Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman, of course. From what we've seen from Shazam! so far, the movie looks like an especially positive move for the DCEU, as it guns for a lighter, comedic, and therefore possibly more accessible tone for a superhero film amongst a previously darker lineup.
Shazam's director David F. Sandberg has previously explained that there's been some alteration to the superhero's suit, making it look different than what we saw in the film's first trailer. Since the director changed up the fabric to Billy Batson's alter-ego late into pre-production, it didn't have a chance to be tested and therefore didn't look exactly how he envisioned in certain lights. Sandberg said they are working on finishing touches for the suit, which will presumably be seen in Shazam's second trailer.
News of Shazam! reshoots could have some fans hoping for that Superman cameo, which made headlines alongside reports that Henry Cavill was departing from the iconic role. The cameo would supposedly have Clark Kent and Billy Batson meet at the end of the film, with Clark saying something to the effect of "We're gonna keep an eye on you." It's easy to picture the scene and it would be a great way to tie the character with the rest of the universe, possibly getting him started with the Justice League, but I wouldn't count on it as the reason for reshoots.
As of right now, for Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, their futures are uncertain with the franchise. Neither of them have projects in the works as their characters (a solo Batman movie is in development, but it's possible a new actor will fill the Caped Crusader's shoes) and plans for Justice League have been stalled for other projects such as Birds of Prey and Joker. If the origin story for Shazam! is as good as it looks, the hero could help raise up and lead the DCEU depending on how it fares with audiences when it comes out on April 5, 2019.
