The biggest surprise coming out of SDCC this year was the trailer for the upcoming DC film, Shazam!. The first footage from the movie was received positively, with many praising the tone and overall vibe. This weekend, the film’s titular star Zachary Levi attended Baltimore Comic-Con, where he spoke about the highly anticipated DC project.

During a Q&A, attended by SBM, Levi revealed that he passed on his role in Shazam!. It was already announced that Dwayne Johnson was playing Black Adam, so Levi assumed they were looking for someone with a similar physique and level of fame for Captain Marvel, so he decided against moving forward with the audition process. He only reconsidered after sending in an audition tape for a supporting role that got the attention of the film’s creative team:

“I put myself on tape for this other role and the director, producers, and the studio saw it. And they hadn’t cast their Shazam yet and they said ‘We think that could be our Shazam’.”

Levi continued by comparing his casting story to the origin story of Billy Batson:

“I feel like in the same way the Wizard sees in Billy Batson the character that is necessary to be Captain Marvel, Shazam. I feel like New Line and my director and producers saw in me the character necessary to be this character.”

Finally, Levi was asked about when we could expect to see his Shazam take on Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, he then proceeded to let the audience know he’s not afraid of The Rock:

“I don’t know when they’re going to make that standalone live-action movie but I know that’s the plan. And I hope that eventually Shazam and Black Adam get to fight each other because I’d like to kick The Rock’s ass.”

Are you surprised that Zachary Levi passed on the role of Shazam? Let us know in the comments below! –Jackson Hayes

Shazam! hits theaters April 5, 2019.

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).