DC have been developing a Captain Marvel movie, known as Shazam! (the word Billy Batson uses to transform into his superpowered alter-ego), for three years now. It’s been a tortuous process that has seen writers including John August. William Goldman. Bryan Goluboff. Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow all trying to get it to work.
Indeed it’s been so difficult that John August suggested earlier this year on his website that the film was pretty much dead. However Warner and DC have refused to give up on the movie, about a tights-wearing, caped hero with super-strength and speed, great wisdom and various other powers that protect him from magical attack.
Now Variety is reporting that BIll Birch has been brought onboard to breathe new life into Shazam!, with Get Smart director Peter Segal still attached to helm the project. They really are going back to the drawing board though, with the makers returning to the comic book source material and starting to rebuild the movie from scratch. Birch seems to have been brought in because he’s already working on a script, One Finger Salute, for Segal, which suggest the director has faith in him.
You’ve got to give them kudos for not giving up, but as Shazam! has defeated some of the best screenwriters around, it may just be that the mix of magic and superheroes isn’t something studios are going to greenlight at the moment (quite frankly, after Supergirl, I wouldn’t be surprised if they never try it again).