The DC Film Universe keeps getting bigger.
Entertainment Weekly reports Djimon Hounsou is playing the Wizard in Shazam.
Hounsou’s best known for his roles in Amistad, Gladiator, The Blood Diamond, Never Back Down. He would earn an Academy Award nomination for his role in Blood Diamond.
According to EW, This Is Us star Ron Cephas Jones was up for the Wizard, but he had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts.
The actor is no stranger to the comic book genre. He is in the MCU as Korath the Pursuer, who he played in Guardians of the Galaxy. Hounsou will reprise the role in next year’s Captain Marvel. In 2005, he played the role of Papa Midnite in Constantine. Also, he did the voice of T’Challa in the Black Panther animated series.
In the comics, the Wizard is an ancient being who is over three thousand years old. Having held the Shazam mantle in his prime, he decides to pass it on to a successor. Upon seeking a person pure of heart, the Wizard selects young Billy Batson to be the new Shazam.
Along with Hounsou, Shazam stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Grace Fulton, and Ian Chen.
The film arrives in theatres on April 5, 2019.
