DC's Shazam! to avoid using former name 'Captain Marvel', says director David Sandberg

Los Angeles: Director David Sandberg has said the upcoming superhero film Shazam!  will not have references to Captain Marvel name.

Sandberg’s film is based on the DC superhero Shazam, which was initially in the comics called Captain Marvel. However, the DC comics officially changed his name to Shazam after Marvel trademarked the title for its own superhero back in the 60s. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Sandberg said the film will avoid using the DC hero’s former name but the movie will “have a bit of fun” with the character’s history. “Let’s just say we’re going to have a bit of fun with that in the movie. But he’s basically known as Shazam, which makes sense because of the confusion,” Sandberg said.

Marvel’s film based on its Captain Marvel character will be released next year in March. The film will stars Brie Larson as the titular character.

Shazam is intended to be the seventh installment in the DC extended universe and will be starring Asher Angel as Billy Batson, a teenage boy who can transform into an adult superhero with the magic word ‘shazam’. The adult superhero will be essayed by  played by Zachary Levi, known for his portrayal of Fandral in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok . 

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)