It's going to take a lot more than to say "Shazam!" to bring Captain Marvel into the DC cinematic universe.

Superman and Captain Marvel in Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam.

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During an interview with Coming Soon about his new film, Grudge Match, director Peter Segal talked a bit about the currently on-hold film adaptation of DC's Shazam comics, which he had been attached to direct. The movie, titled Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam, would follow the adventures of the eponymous young boy who transforms into an adult superhero when he says the word "Shazam!"Segal notes the difficulties the Shazam franchise has always faced since Captain Marvel's powers are so similar to Superman's, a similarity that led to DC suing Captain Marvel's original publisher in the '30s and eventually buying the property. However, Segal also believes that overlap is Captain Marvel's best chance of making it to the big screen, pointing out that Shazam movie rumors really began to surge after Bryan Singer's Superman Returns. Looking at Superman's newest resurgence in the Man of Steel franchise, though, the director thinks it will now be more difficult for DC to figure out how to introduce Shazam to audiences.When asked if his approach to Shazam was more "kid-friendly," Segal denies the assertion."Well, it wasn't," he says. "I was working with Geoff Johns. At its core, it's a lot like Superman. There's this boy trapped inside of a superhero's body. He's still a boy inside, so there's this opportunity to play a lot of humor with the action."Segal recalls Stan Lee approaching him for a Fantastic Four movie, because "these characters are flawed and, within those flaws, there is humor." The director had the same approach with Shazam, hoping "to draw from that humor and to mix it with great action and pathos."So, when will Captain Marvel get his time in the spotlight?"I've always loved Shazam," Segal concludes, "but I don't know if it's going to see the light of day anytime soon."