'Shazam' Dijimon Hounsou cast as the Wizard

Dijimon Hounsou has reportedly been cast in the highly anticipated “Shazam” movie. This casting makes the actor a part of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as the DC Cinematic Universe.

After playing the role of Korath the Pursuer in the Marvel film “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Hounsou has been cast as the Wizard in the upcoming DC film titled “Shazam,” EntertainmentWeekly reports. The actor has already completed his part of the filming, and the production of the movie has wrapped. However, it is only now that the actor’s casting has been made public.

“Shazam” tells the story of a 14-years-old boy Billy Batson (Asher Angel) who is given god-like powers and becomes a superhero. Hounsou’s character the Wizard will be the one who will give the boy his powers in the film.

In the comics, the Wizard is a sorcerer from Ancient Egypt who has been fighting evil for about 3000 years. Tired after fighting for so long, the Wizard was seeking someone to take his place to fight evil, and finally found a teenager who fit the bill.

Just like He-Man, who transformers into a strong hero after taking his sword and saying “By the power of Greyskull,” the 14-years-old boy transforms into an adult superhero by shouting out the word “Shazam.”

Even after the transformation, Billy continues to be a teenager in an adult’s body. With his new found powers he will experiment with them, just as any teenager would do, according to the synopsis of the movie. He will have to master his powers quickly because he will have to fight the forces of evil led by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong). Zachary Levi is playing the role of the adult superhero.

“Shazam” is set to be released on April 5, 2019 in the US. The producers are yet to announce a release date for Australia.