It’s confirmed that Ron Cephas Jones has been cast as the Wizard in the Shazam! movie.
…with Ron Cephas Jones (“This is Us”) as the Wizard.
Director David F. Sandberg also confirmed that the Wizard in Shazam! would indeed be named Shazam when questioned on Twitter.
“The wizard is named Shazam in the movie, I just think they’re trying to avoid confusion in news/articles,” Sandberg tweeted.
In the comics, the wizard gives the young Billy Batson his powers, and when Billy says the wizard’s name – “Shazam!” – Billy is transformed into the adult superhero Captain Marvel (Shazam). The official plot synopsis for the movie below also mentions the wizard.
Ron Cephas Jones is known for the TV series This Is Us, The Get Down and Mr. Robot, as well as Netflix and Marvel’s Luke Cage.
Ron Cephas Jones This Is Us
Shazam! has an April 5, 2019 release also starring Zachary Levi as the titular character, Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Mark Strong in the role of Super-Villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, Jack Dylan Grazer as Billy’s best friend and ultimate superhero enthusiast, Freddy, part of the foster family that includes Mary, played by Grace Fulton; Darla, played by Faithe Herman; Eugene, played by Ian Chen; and Pedro, played by Jovan Armand. Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans play foster parents Victor and Rosa Vasquez.
Synopsis:
We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).
(note: pictured above is fan art via Instagram)
