Why Shazam! Works So Well As A Crowdpleaser, According To The Cast

Why Shazam! Works So Well As A Crowdpleaser, According To The Cast

The DC Comics brand of films has been on the mend, with its most recent efforts in the world of comic adaptations gaining a lot of attention and affection from fans. That trend looks like it’s continuing with the theatrical release of Shazam! set to take the public by storm this weekend, with early reactions trending in the film’s favor. Even the cast of the film knows how latest DC adaptation that makes it a bona fide crowd pleaser, and they weren’t afraid to share their thoughts. While the answers may differ slightly, all roads lead to two key elements; fun and heart.

During the recent press day for the film, CinemaBlend got to sit down with the cast of Shazam! to discuss how this superpowered adventure gives the people what they want. And starting off with Dr. Silvana himself, the always solid Mark Strong, the film’s appeal is very easy to see. In particular, Strong pointed out the following elements that really brought the film together:

It’s just so irreverent, and so much fun. The notion now that we’ve seen a lot of superhero movies in which the superheroes are really capable, and now suddenly we see one who has no idea how to use his powers, is really funny. So I think people will enjoy the humor of that. I hope they also then enjoy, conversely, quite how dark and weird and creepy the bad guy story is as well. And then, of course, there’s the family theme at the heart of it all; which is quite moving, I think.

Mark Strong is certainly not new to the DC Comics rodeo, as his performance in Green Lantern with Ryan Reynolds introduced him as Sinestro, the would-be baddie of that corner of the DC universe. So seeing his thoughts on how Shazam! works as a film come from not only a place of experience, but also of genuinely constructive criticism.

Also, Mark Strong nails it on the head when he mentions the fact that director David F. Sandberg’s film is a great mixture of the fun and the family, with a nice sprinkling of the scary on top. Which also works, considering a big part of the demographic for Shazam! just happens to be kids and teenagers who will be flocking to their local theaters this weekend to partake in the joys this film has to offer.

It helps that there were some kids on hand during the Shazam! press day that could confirm those thoughts are, in fact accurate. With Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer on hand for the festivities, we also got to speak to them about what audiences should expect when seeing Warner Bros’ new comic book movie. And judging by their reaction, and the quotes below, fun is a huge part of the crowd-pleasing energy Shazam! has going for it:

Grazer: ‘They should expect some noise, some laughter, some constant applause because this movie is so damned good. It’s really really fun. When we went to the movie theater to watch it with the fans, they were all over the place. They were ecstatic, they were laughing…’

Angel: ‘They were jumping up and down in their seats.’

Grazer: ‘...on their toes. Yeah, it was great.’

As they were answering the question as to what makes Shazam! such a crowdpleaser, there was this current of energy that filled the room. Both being young, up-and-coming actors, Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer are clearly excited to see this movie about to take off. It sounds like they had a lot of fun watching it with a crowd during one of the several public screenings that have been conducted to really hype up the movie.

But, of course, how can you talk about Shazam! without roping in the man in the suit himself: certified crowdpleaser Zachary Levi. When it came his turn to answer the question of just what makes his big superhero debut in the DC universe something you can watch in a theater, surrounded by fans of the source material, he knew exactly what makes this film work in front of a crowd. The first part of Levi’s answer went as follows:

The everything. It’s got everything, guys. It’s wish fulfillment on the purest level. It’s the little kid in all of us who’s always dreamt about being a superhero, and now can say a magic word and become a superhero. That’s like the most cool, iconic archetype of the hero story I can think of. Plus, it’s layered with so much heart, and so much fun and [it’s] funny. I mean, there’s so much comedy, and some creepy stuff as well, you know.

The fun that shines through in Shazam! is undeniable, and you can literally see it on Zachary Levi’s face, throughout our interview and other venues during the film’s press tour. But the best part is, the fun that went into making the film as thrilling as it turned out to be in the finished product certainly doesn’t betray the message it’s trying to put across.

That fact isn’t lost on Zachary Levi either, as when he continued to answer the question of what makes Shazam! a singular experience as a film, he hit on a couple of points closer to the emotional heart of the film, which find themselves integrated rather well alongside the more spectacular elements. Levi continued by mentioning the following:

I think a lot of people will see themselves represented on screen, particularly people that might not feel as represented on screen, and I think that’s really beautiful. The family dynamic speaks to a lot. We get to tell a story about foster kids. There are 450,000, or so, kids in the United States right now in the foster system, and I love that they have themselves to look up to. To be empowered by, to shine that light, even in a small way, is a very powerful thing.

The DC Comics film franchise has come a long way from the days of people debating its depiction of Superman, as well as the question of whether or not the series on the whole really understood the comics to begin with. Shazam! definitely proves itself to be a course correction in line with the whimsy of Aquaman and the empowerment of Wonder Woman, and it’s going to be particularly interesting seeing the public reaction to the film as it opens wide. In the meantime, check out the reactions of the cast of Shazam!, in regards to their own film, in the clip from our interview shown below.

Shazam! says the magic word on April 5th; but if you’re curious about what’s coming down the pike after you’ve enjoyed this magic powered romp, you can take a look at the 2019 release schedule and choose your next adventure accordingly!

Doc Ock Might Be The Main Villain Of The Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Franchise

Doc Ock Might Be The Main Villain Of The Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Franchise

One of the things that was readily apparent in last year’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was that this property is perfectly suited to be a franchise with its own cinematic universe. Fortunately, Sony seems to agree, and a spinoff and sequel are now in development. Although the Spider-Verse franchise is just beginning, it seems that it may already have a big bad in the form of Olivia Octavius, a.k.a. Doctor Octopus.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse co-director Rodney Rothman hinted at the character’s future in the franchise, saying:

In the end, we found the movie played fine without us tagging every single possible thing. But we definitely think of Liv as someone who is not gone from the story, and who in many ways, is our most powerful bad guy. She's manipulating a lot of things to achieve her own grand ambitions.

Based on his comments to Total Film (via Screen Rant), it seems that Rodney Rothman and the filmmakers of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse didn’t want to reference too much or do too much setting up for the future, but it is clear that Doc Ock is not gone and she may have a significant place in that future. The way he describes her as the most powerful bad guy implies that he sees her as a villain with serious potential in this franchise.

This is quite the turnaround considering that co-director Peter Ramsey previously said that there was a worry at one point (before Kathryn Hahn stepped into the recording booth) that Spider-Verse’s Doc Ock was going to be too goofy and quirky to seem like a real deadly threat that Miles and audiences should be concerned about.

Rodney Rothman’s comments about Liv evoke Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although Miles Morales has already battled with her, the idea that she is still manipulating things behind the scenes, and pulling strings with her mechanical appendages to her own nefarious ends, is very reminiscent of the role Josh Brolin’s character played in The Infinity Saga. Over time we found out Thanos’ ambitions and what he was after, and finding out Liv’s will be something to watch for as this franchise continues.

In Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Kingpin was the main villain, but the gender-swapped Doc Ock was perhaps the scariest foe Miles Morales encountered. Kathryn Hahn’s deliciously diabolical villain had a positively killer introduction where she went full mad scientist and wanted to watch Peter Parker disintegrate from being in the wrong dimension like Game of Thrones’ Qyburn wanting to keep a decapitated head for research.

Doc Ock is a formidable physical opponent in her own right, but it is her unhinged brilliance and mental game that will likely elevate her above the fray to become the franchise’s big bad. In Spider-Verse, she was the CEO and head scientist of Alchemax, and if she is really manipulating events, I could see that company playing a major role in future films.

We’ll keep you updated as Sony’s animated Spider-Verse develops, and check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the biggest movies heading your way in a jam-packed summer season.

Why Shazam! Reshot Mark Strong's Intro As Sivana, And How It Originally Looked

Why Shazam! Reshot Mark Strong's Intro As Sivana, And How It Originally Looked

Reshoots are pretty commonplace in filmmaking, especially for blockbusters. Big studio films are almost guaranteed to reserve a block of time for reshoots. Sometimes things change in the editing room and filmmakers decide they need to get the cameras back out. For example, that very same thing happened on Shazam! The fun superhero film reshot the intro scene for its villain, Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong), because the room he was in was a bit too sterile.

In Shazam!, Dr. Sivana is a man obsessed with breaking into the Rock of Eternity and freeing the Seven Deadly Sins, a group of demons who symbolize the worst traits in humanity. Technically, the first time we see Sivana is as a child in the opening minutes of the film, but the scene that was reshot was his intro as an adult.

The scene in question had Sivana overseeing the questioning of a person who visited the Rock of Eternity in the hopes that he could finally get a clue to return there. Originally, the room he was in was much more sterile with blank white walls, but director David F. Sandberg felt that this wasn't quite the right way to introduce his baddie.

Replying to a comment on Twitter, David F. Sandberg revealed that there wasn't enough extra footage to do a director's cut of Shazam! The footage on screen is exactly what he wanted and all of the unused footage is really just alternate takes of scenes in the film. As an example, he showed a pic of the original introduction for Sivana. It's still the same scene, it just takes place in a different room.

While I can't remember for the life of me what this conference room looked like in the actual movie, I think it was a good call to change the room. It's pretty boring looking, and while I'm sure it could have been spruced up in post-production, that wouldn't likely change much.

We don't know what else was changed in the film during reshoots, but maybe some of these alternate takes will be available on the digital and home release of Shazam! The movie has been enjoying a pretty healthy run at the box office, earning $322.8 million worldwide at the box office. That's pretty good for the first film in what is sure to be a franchise, and DC's hot streak still lives on.

If you missed out on Shazam! or just want to kill some time before Avengers: Endgame later this week, you can still catch the superhero film in theaters. For everything else DC has coming down the pipeline, here's our DC movie guide. If you'd like to know what else is coming this year to plan out all your upcoming theater trips, here's our 2019 movie release guide.

Twilight's Edward Cullen And Bella Swan Are Coming Back, But Not How You Think

Twilight's Edward Cullen And Bella Swan Are Coming Back, But Not How You Think

Edward Cullen and Bella Swan are making a big comeback on the screen. Seven years after Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 hit theaters, Lionsgate has planned a new series of movie events to engage fans.

The first Twilight movie is set to get an international tour set to live music, in which the movie will play and be accompanied by a full orchestra who will tackle Carter Burwell’s iconic music.

In an announcement, Lionsgate revealed that the first of these concerts will come out in August and will happen in Brazil. Subsequent shows will stop in places like Australia and the U.K.; the full set of dates is not available currently.

This isn’t the first time Lionsgate has planned a series of events like this for fans, having also done this for the likes of The Hunger Games and La La Land. So far, 125 performances for these previous projects have already been successfully launched.

Insofar as Twilight goes, the fanbase is definitely still big enough for this sort of event. In fact, I’m a little bit surprised an actual movie spinoff hasn’t happened in the universe since the last flick wrapped in 2012. After all, the franchise has brought in $3.3 billion worldwide across four movies and clearly there’s still an avid fanbase interested in Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, plus the Cullen family in general.

We even recently learned the Twilight franchise films have been big hits with a new audience over at Hulu.

Insofar as a reboot or remake goes, previously actor Kellan Lutz has talked about the budget constraints in the first movie, revealing he wouldn’t mind if the powers that be remade Twilight, particularly to improve the CGI.

Definitely for the first movie, I think Twilight has the lowest budget out of all of them from New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and I can only imagine what Catherine [Hardwicke] would do if she had a $59 million budget compared to ($37 million budget of the first.) So, I think they could remake the first one, but I don't think they could remake or should remake the franchise until there is some new technological advancement. I think the CGI was already top notch in the movies.

While this sort of new sort of screening event isn’t the same thing as a new movie, these types of events have proven popular for a lot of different big and small screen properties. At other studios, programs like The Simpsons have done similar live projects. In addition, some properties with musical components have even delved into sing-a-long fan events, with The Greatest Showman being a prominent recent example.

We’ll let you know as soon as this particular Twilight event gets more details. In the meantime, you can relive the movies as well as plenty of other content on Hulu.

Watch The Awesome Trailer For Universal’s New Jurassic World Ride

Watch The Awesome Trailer For Universal’s New Jurassic World Ride

Last year, the legendary theme park attraction Jurassic Park: The Ride sailed its final voyage through Isla Nublar and closed down for refurbishment at Universal Studios Hollywood. That refresh was in the name of an updated attraction that swam in the same waters, but in service of promoting the Jurassic World franchise.

Now we have our first hint at what the updated attraction will look like, with the trailer below. Dear readers, welcome, to Jurassic World: The Ride:

The trailer starts out simple enough, with a western being filmed on the Universal Studios backlot. But before things get too shooty, an astronaut runs into frame with a familiar one word warning: “Run!” As one would expect, the chase scatters a bunch of other costumed actors running through the Universal lot, which results in Roberta the Tyrannosaurus Rex breaking through the Universal Studios arch.

It’s at this point that Jurassic World: The Ride finally shows itself through our first look at what exactly will be part of this new theme park attraction; and it’s here where we see something rather interesting. Pictured in the video is a boat that looks like one of the boats last seen in the Jurassic Park: The Ride attraction, only this time it’s stopped in the middle of the attraction.

Conveniently enough, the boat is stopped in front of a Mosasaurus tank, just in time for the beastie to charge towards the glass and make a hole. Water squirts out, the audience looks frightened and the boat moves on to bigger, scarier thrills, like the previously confirmed showdown between the famed T-Rex and “new behemoth dinosaurs.”

While Jurassic World: The Ride sounded pretty intense when described in the vaguest of terms, this new ride’s promise of more realistic terror is even more promising. The footage of how the ride’s supposed to work only makes for more excitement, as it looks like a digital screen approach similar to the Fast & Furious: Supercharged or Skull Island: Reign of Kong attractions, which be used to show some of the creatures at hand.

Though we wouldn’t count out any thrills and spills using original, or brand new, animatronics in Jurassic World: The Ride, as even those updated attractions still retain an actual physical element to their thrills. Of course, this is all speculation at this moment, but for now, taking a look into the world of this future adventure 65 million years in the making has us longing for our first chance to take that ride for ourselves.

Jurassic World: The Ride does not have an official opening date past the originally specified timeframe of this summer. However, Universal Studios Hollywood recommends checking back on their official website for any future updates.

And if you still want to ride Jurassic Park: The Ride, it’s still in operation at Universal Studios Japan, as well as Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando for the time being. Which has us wondering if any revamps to the latter park’s attraction could involve Roberta squaring off against Fluffy from the Harry Potter series. Just a suggestion, Universal.

After Disney Acquisition, Fox Has Already Started Layoffs

After Disney Acquisition, Fox Has Already Started Layoffs

The merger between The Walt Disney Company and Fox was only completed after midnight on Wednesday morning, but the new owners have wasted no time in beginning to streamline the new company. A lot of layoffs were expected, and the first of them came to pass yesterday.

Many of the layoffs came at the top of the food chain. Chris Aronson, the president of Fox's domestic distribution was informed yesterday that he will not be moving forward with Disney, though he was apparently given 60 days notice. Fox's international distribution president was also given notice, as well as the president of worldwide marketing.

According to THR, many employees have not been officially let go yet, but they have been informed that they'll only be kept on for a transitional period, three to six months depending on the situation. Fox employees being let go are apparently being given two weeks of severance pay for every year they spent with the company, with a maximum pay out of two years salary. For those few that have spent decades working for Fox, and there will be those that have, they'll at least get a solid severance deal.

These layoffs were not necessarily unexpected. Disney and Fox were two companies in exactly the same business, which means there was a lot of overlap of job responsibilities between the two companies. Even with the addition of the various Fox divisions, the new company doesn't necessarily need twice as many people in areas like marketing or distribution.

One decision that has been a surprise, however, is the decision to completely shutter Fox 2000. The label was run by Elizabeth Gabler and was responsible for producing mid-budget dramas and comedies, including such popular movies as Love, Simon, Hidden Figures, and The Devil Wears Prada. It had been believed that Gabler and Fox 2000 would be folded into the new company and remain largely unaltered, so the news from Deadline that the label is being shut down has come as a shock to many.

While the layoffs were certainly expected, Disney has been, and is apparently remaining, tight lipped about what the exact plan is for the future. THR reports that some employees on both sides of the new merger are now very cautious because none of them know how secure their positions are. It's one thing to know that layoffs are going to happen, but not knowing how they will happen makes everybody nervous.

The total number of layoffs are expected to be in the thousands before things settle down, so this is clearly only the beginning. And of course, because of the merger itself, job prospects for those that find themselves without work will have that much more trouble finding a new job. If you're looking to find work with a major movie studio, there are now fewer of them around that are hiring.

How Important Maria and Monica Rambeau Can Be To The MCU After Captain Marvel

How Important Maria and Monica Rambeau Can Be To The MCU After Captain Marvel

This article contains major SPOILERS for Captain Marvel, so turn back if you haven’t yet blasted off with the high-flying hero in theaters yet.

Amidst a grand introduction to the all-powerful Captain Marvel into the Marvel Cinematic Universe before the Avengers gear up for round two with Thanos, there was a subtle introduction to another key Marvel Comics superhero. Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Carol’s best friend Maria, has an intriguing history in the comics, which most certainly could be in plans to be explored in Phase 4 – that is if the MCU decides to act on those nudges and hints sprinkled throughout Captain Marvel.

So let’s recap who the Rambeau’s are in the comic books, how they were introduced in Captain Marvel and how they could tie into the MCU moving forward:

What Are Their Comic Book Origins?

In the comic books, Monica Rambeau held the title of “Captain Marvel” before Carol Danvers did when she appeared in 1982’s Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16. Danvers’ first alias was Ms. Marvel, but she did take over the name of Captain Marvel in 2012. When we meet Rambeau, she is a lieutenant for the New Orleans Harbor Patrol as a cargo ship captain. She is on board with a special device capable of tapping into energies from other dimensions, which is intended to be used to create a dangerous weapon. Rambeau aids in destroying the device, but her exposure to the energy arms her with the power of a superhero. Sound familiar?

Monica Rambeau has the power to turn into a being of pure energy, shoot energy blasts, phase through solid matter (just as Vision does) and fly. Besides Captain Marvel, the hero has also been named Photon, Pulsar and Spectrum as well. She became the first African-American female to join the Avengers, where she was mentored by Captain America and Wasp, and once took on the mantle of Avengers leader in Wasp’s place. After a fight with sea monster Leviathan, Monica’s powers became depleted, and she has sat out an Avenger’s membership for some time, but her powers did come back eventually. Her most recent team up was with the rogue superhero squad Nextwave, alongside Black Panther, Luke Cage, Blade and Brother Voodoo, who fought vampires in New Orleans.

Her mother Maria, however, has a completely different backstory than the one introduced in Captain Marvel. Maria is a successful seamstress who owns her own dress shop and is the wife of a former fireman. The mother is much more concerned parent, who, while proud of her daughter’s role as a superhero, often expresses her concerns for her safety.

How Does Captain Marvel Hint At The Characters’ Futures?

In Captain Marvel, Maria and Monica Rambeau play a large part in Carol Danvers rediscovering her identity and becoming the badass superhero she transforms into by the end of the movie. The mother-daughter duo is Danvers’ chosen family who help jog her memory when she and Fury visit them to get answers about a mysterious fighter jet crash. Maria is not a seamstress, but an Air Force pilot, and she is not a wife, but a single mother. Monica (a.k.a. Lt. Trouble) can’t help but get in on the action, help Captain Marvel with her suit and encourage her mother to be co-pilot to the final mission to set a “good example” for her. Monica already looks up to Carol, and then she becomes a superhero. I can’t help but think this is a defining moment for her that the MCU just has to come back to.

Maria’s callsign is also “Photon”– one of Monica’s superhero names. When you look at how important Carol Danvers’ callsign ended up being to the franchise (it was ‘Avenger’ and inspired Fury to name the initiative), then you know how the importance in the details. At the end of the film as Carol prepares to journey across space, they have a conversation about how Monica may have to build a spaceship of her own one day to visit her Skrull friends.

The factor of time also plays a part here. Captain Marvel is set in 1995 and Monica is eleven years old, and we know Carol will appear next in Avengers: Endgame, which takes place in present day. If Carol’s story continues after the events of Endgame, Monica would be in her mid-30s, the perfect age to fix right in with the rest of the Avengers and assume her rightful comic book role.

How Monica and Maria Rambeau Could Tie Into The MCU?

After these hints to the hero’s origin, how could the MCU not explore the Rambeau’s in future films? They are particularly close to Carol Danvers’ heart (just like Bucky Barnes is to Captain America) and could serve as the key story element to future Captain Marvel sequels (which I don't doubt is on the way considering that Earth shattering box office debut). I imagine after Endgame, Carol finds herself back on Earth and either can’t help looking the Rambeau’s up or is approached by an all-grown up Monica. While I hope Maria appears again, I don't think she'll have as vital of a role as Monica.

Considering theories that heroes such as Captain America and Iron Man will be hanging up their role post-Endgame among others, a mentorship between the characters might be part of how the franchise moves forward and starts buffing up their heroes back up as other longtime heroes head to the door. While we know little about what’s coming next for the MCU until after Endgame and Far From Home (and all plans are being held until then), the inclusion of Monica certainly hints at plans to a new generation of the Avengers, who could be completely different then the main crew we already know and how key Captain Marvel could be to the development of them.

The MCU’s continuing focus on diversity following the monumental success of Black Panther is glimmered into the DNA of Captain Marvel, as the team’s first official female African-American hero could soon take flight. The character has infinite possibilities, all the way up to becoming the next Captain Marvel and leader of the next Avengers team. I wouldn’t doubt that this is the direction the MCU is going, thanks to the subtle introduction of the Rambeau’s in the Marvel film that touches so deeply into the Avenger’s roots. Fury will certainly vouch for her.

What do you think about the potential of the Rambeau's in the MCU? Would you like to see their story continue in future movies? Would you particularly like to see Monica become Photon, the next Captain Marvel or even the leader to the new Avengers? Marvel's Phase 4 certainly has a lot of possibilities in store which will certainly become more clear after Avengers: Endgame hit theaters on April 26. Until then, feel free to share your thoughts below in the comments.