'Shazam' news: Zachary Levi to play Shazam in upcoming DC superhero movie

Promotional photo for DC comics' ShazamDC Comics

Shazam also known as Captain Marvel will be brought to life by "Chuck" star Zachary Levi. The actor will work with Swedish Director David Sandberg known for horror movies like "Lights Out" and "Annabelle: Creation." The DC superhero movie is slated to premiere in 2019.

Levi announced the news by posting a fan art of him as Shazam in Instagram. Levi wrote in the caption, "Honored and greatly humbled to be a part of the #dcuniverse by bringing the original Captain Marvel to life." In preparation for the role, Levi added, "I'll be in the gym for the rest of forever."

Zachary Levi confirmed to play ShazamInstagram/zacharylevi

Levi is famous for his portrayal of Chuck Bartowski in NBC's action-comedy television series "Chuck" and Kipp Steadman from the live-action film "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel." Levi also worked with Marvel as Asgard's warrior and Thor's close friend, Fandral in "Thor: The Dark World" and "Thor: Ragnarok."

There is still no further information about the people who will be working alongside Levi. Fans are also waiting for updates about the plot of the story and which villain will stand in Shazam's way. DC have not released any information on whether production is underway.

Earlier this year, there were rumors that World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star and actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be part of the movie as supervillain Black Adam. However, during an interview with Yahoo! Movies, DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff John revealed that Johnson will portray Black Adam but not in the "Shazam!" film. He said, "Dwayne isn't going to be in this movie. He's still doing Black Adam, but he won't be in Shazam!"

DC will end 2017 with their upcoming film "Justice League" and "Aquaman" confirmed to be released in 2018. "Justice League" will premiere on Nov. 16 with an amazing line-up of stars including Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and more.