'Shazam' movie release date rumors: Director reveals superhero movie premiere

Promotional photo for the New 52 version of "Shazam"DC Comics

Fans of "Shazam" waiting for the live-action movie better be ready to get struck by lightning, figuratively, as a shocking revelation has been made by the director regarding the film's arrival.

"Shazam" director David F. Sandberg has unveiled on Reddit that his upcoming movie about the wizard superhero is set to be released in April 2019. Sandberg, also the director of the recent "Anabelle: Creation," answered a fan question during the panel for the horror movie, stating that the movie will come "April 2019. It takes a long time to make VFX heavy movies."

"Shazam" will also reportedly be released after the standalone movie of Aquaman, a member of the Justice League, as announced by Warner Bros. Studios earlier this year. Whether or not Shazam will be involved with the Justice League remains to be seen, as the character had several stints with Superman and company, particularly in the New 52 series of comic book reboots which DC did back in 2011, "Justice League: Unlimited" animation series, and the "Injustice" video games.

So far, no new information regarding the cast and the production process have been revealed, so fans can assume that the upcoming movie may still be in its pre-production or even casting stage. It was rumored back in September that World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar John Cena would be playing the superhero version of Shazam, a possibility that excited fans, as Cena's wrestling co-star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would be playing Shazam's nemesis, Black Adam, in his own standalone movie.

However, the hearsay was quickly dispelled, and the fans of both Shazam and Cena are now back in the dark regarding who will play the wizard superhero.

"Shazam" will be about the superhero of the same name whose alter-ego is actually a child named Billy Batson. The kid transforms into Shazam whenever he shouts the name and is granted the powers of mythical icons and their reputation like Solomon and his wisdom, Hercules and his strength, Atlas and his stamina, Zeus and his power, Achilles and his courage, and Mercury and his speed. This forms the acronym S.H.A.Z.A.M and gives Batson strength, speed, and invulnerability more or less equal to that of Superman. However, the hero is also able to utilize magic.

"Shazam" will supposedly be lighter in tone compared to the previous ventures of DC in the big screen like "Batman v Superman" or "Man of Steel." The movie is set to be released on the aforementioned date of April 2019.