The upcoming superhero movie "Shazam!" will have two different actors playing the titular character. They will be cast in the roles of the kid William "Billy" Batson and his older super-powered alter ego.
In an interview with Collider, "Shazam!" director David F. Sandberg said that he will have two actors play the roles of Batson and his superhero counterpart Shazam. He is opposed to the idea of casting one adult actor then using de-aging technology to make him look young on film.
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to do that. That seems like way too much of a hassle. So I think it's just kind of best to have a kid and an adult," he explained.
Age-reducing imaging technology was used in the film "Ant-Man" when Michael Douglas was made to look 30 years younger to portray a young Hank Pym in the 1980s.
In the movie "Captain America: Civil War," the technique made Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark look like a high school kid in the auditorium scene. Just recently, Kurt Russell looked 30 years younger in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" by using the imaging software.
"They've done quite well, I mean Kurt Russell was in the latest Guardians was really well made I thought, but I think there's a limit to it as well. You probably can't do someone to be a kid. Why create that hassle for yourself?" the director stressed.
In the comics, Batson and Shazam were one person but looked ages apart. The young boy was given powers by the wizard Shazam that if he uttered his name, which is an acronym for the six immortal elders Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury, he would transform into his adult version and get the superhero qualities of these ancient men.
"Shazam!" is expected to hit theaters sometime in the middle of 2019.
