Numerous fans blew a sigh of relief when Warner Brothers confirmed that upcoming film ‘Shazam‘ would indeed take place in the DC Cinematic Universe. You might ask why there was ever a question about a DC comics superhero being included in the same continuity as ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ and for that answer, you’d have to look at the variables surrounding ‘Shazam.’

First off, his story is a little wonky. Shazam is a really a 12 year of kid named Billy Batson who can transform into a superhero by uttering the magical word “Shazam!” In the words of one of the Warner Bros execs, the movie would have to have “…a tone unto itself.” To say the least, it would be a lighter hearted superhero movie, if not an altogether comedic one. Combine those facts with the unusual reports that New Line Cinema (a division of Warner Bros most known for producing ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Hobbit” films) would be behind the film, and many are wondering if Warner Bros was distancing ‘Shazam’ from its core hero world. That and the fact that Dwayne Johnson (who will be playing Black Atom) tweeted about the film with the hashtag “Independence,” got to think this would be a separate film. Fortunately we now know it is not, as the studio has confirmed that ‘Shazam’ will be a part of the larger DC Cinematic Universe.

So the line-up of films included in the official continuity for the DC Cinematic universe is now (and in this order) ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ ‘Suicide Squad,’ ‘Wonder Woman,’ Justice League Part 1,’ The Flash,’ ‘Aquaman‘, ‘Shazam,’ ‘Justice League Part 2,’ Cyborg,’ and ‘Green Lantern.’ That’s quite a slate, and one hopes that ‘Shazam’ will be able to stand tall alongside such heroes as Superman and Batman, and not just seem like the ugly step-child of the DC superhero movies. It is interesting to note how ‘Shazam’ will be released right before ‘Justice League Part 2,’ which hints that the hero might be the lead in to the second installment of the heroic team’s franchise and may join/ be integral to the second Justice League movie.

Here’s hoping DC gets it right, and is able to craft something close to the world Marvel has created in their cinematic universe.

Source: Screenrant