Casting Captain Marvel

With Dwayne Johnson cast as Black Adam, the casting of Captain Marvel cannot be far behind. Honorable mentions go to two fan favorites: Patrick Warburton and Brandon Molale. Both have huge fan support for the role, but both of their times have past. If the Shazam movie would have been made in the late 1980s or early 1990s, the role would be Warburton's. Likewise if it had been made around the early 2000s, Molale would be in a neck and neck race with Jim Caviezel for the win. But this is 2014, and the movie has an estimated 2019 release. Here are the current top contenders.

Jesse Metcalfe
Why he should be cast: He looks the closest to C.C. Beck's artwork as any actor can be. His role in "Dallas" shows he has dramatic acting chops, and his role in "John Tucker Must Die" shows he can do comedy.
Why he should not get cast: He's only 5'9". With Johnson's Black Adam at 6'4", he's sadly just too short.
Conclusion: A long shot at best, if he's even considered.

Wes Bentley
Why he should be cast: He's a talented actor. He looks the role. At 6' he's not as big as Johnson, but still bigger than Metcalfe. He was Christopher Nolan's hand picked successor to the role of Batman, and he's good friends with Christian Bale.
Why he should not get cast: At 6', he still might be considered too short. Also he has had some drug problems in the past. The actor playing the Big Red Cheese needs to live up to a moral code not unlike that which Clayton Moore, of the Lone Ranger, and Jackson Bostwick, the Captain Marvel of the 1970s, lived by.
Conclusion: A dark horse. Don't count him out, but don't bet on him either.

Daniel Cudmore
Why he should be cast: He looks the role, and at 6'7" he would tower over Johnson.
Why he should not get cast: He's Colossus in the X-Men franchise, and while not a major role in those movies, and a supporting player in the Twilight Saga, that brings up the point he may not have the acting chops to be the lead in a movie and hold up against Johnson's charisma.
Conclusion: He will get called in for an interview and might even make it to a screen test.

Owain Yeoman

Why he should be cast: He's a good actor, and at 6'3", a good match for Johnson.
Why he should not get cast: He doesn't quite have the right look, and he's known as a TV actor, and in his late 30s, may be too much of a risk to build a franchise around him.
Conclusion: He might get an interview.
(UPDATE: Yeoman has been cast in the Supergirl TV series, taking him out of consideration for Captain Marvel.)

Channing Tatum

Why he should be cast: He's a movie star who can do action, drama and comedy. At 6'1", while still not up to Johnson's height, he has the charisma to make it work.

Why he won't get cast: He signed on to play Gambit in the X-Men movies. It's doubtful there may be an actual "no compete" clause in his contract, but it's even more doubtful he'll jump over to DC.
Conclusion: New Line won't even attempt to get him.

Joe Manganiello
Why he should be cast: He was almost Superman and almost Batman. His build can rival Johnson's.
Why he should not get cast: He doesn't really fit the role, and just because he lost out to two other superheroes doesn't mean he should automatically be up for all superhero roles.
Conclusion: He might be considered early in, but won't get called in for an interview or screen test.
(UPDATE: Manganiello has been cast as Deathstroke the Terminator in Ben Affleck's solo Batman movie, taking him out of consideration for Captain Marvel.)

Tyler Hoechlin
Why he should be cast: he's popular with the girls, and would draw them in to see the movie. He was rumored for Batman, but I think that was just PR on his part.
Why he should not get cast: At 6', he might not be big enough to go against Johnson, and he might not have the screen presence. He was on "7th Heaven"... come on!
Conclusion: I'd like to say "little chance", but... I just don't know. Off beat enough New Line might go for him.
(UPDATE: Hoechlin has been cast as Superman in season 2 of Supergirl, taking him out of consideration for Captain Marvel.)

Armie Hammer
Why he should be cast: he is generating a lot of fan support, but I personally don't see him as right for the role.
Why he should not be cast: although tall at 6'5", he is on the thin side. He has yet to prove himself, as The Lone Ranger was a dud, and The Man From UNCLE is getting mixed advance word of mouth.
Conclusion: He just seems a little too dull, and not enough charisma to carry the role and the film.

Alan Ritchson
Why he should be cast: like Hammer, he is getting a swell of online fan support.  Looks the role and openly professed interest through social media.
Why he should not be cast: best known for playing Aquaman on "Smallville". Hasn't really broken through beyond a supporting player status.
Conclusion: A better choice than Hammer, Yeoman, or Hoechlin, but still, maybe not right for a big screen film. Perhaps better suited if this were to be a TV production.
(UPDATE: Ritchson has been cast as Hawk, of Hawk & Dove, on the upcoming Titans TV series, taking him out of consideration for Captain Marvel.)

Liam Hemsworth
Why he should be cast: Has acting talent, is in good shape and has the looks.
Why he should not be cast: Captain Marvel and Thor.... brothers??
Conclusion:  Like Wes Bentley, may be a dark horse to keep an eye on.

Lou Ferrigno Jr
Why he should be cast: an outside-of-the-box choice considering he's the original TV Hulk's son, but, at 6'2" he has the looks, the muscle, and most importantly, he has acting talent.
Why he should not get cast: no real reason, other than possibly his link to Marvel-Disney via his father.
Conclusion: He should definitely make it to the final casting cut.

Derek Theler

Why he should be cast: He has great charisma, and an innocent, big heart quality to him that would be perfect for the World's Mightiest Mortal, without delving into full blown "Big"/"Freaky Friday" territory. At 6'5" he could go toe to toe with Johnson. Although he's primarily a TV actor, he's young enough that the jump to the big screen is very probable.
Why he should not get cast: he's considered an unknown, but that could play to his benefit.
Conclusion: If I were a casting director, Theler is the one I would give the most serious consideration to.
(UPDATE: Theler has been cast as Marvel Comics' Mister Immortal in the New Warriors TV series, severely reducing his chances he'll be cast as Captain Marvel.  This could be a crippling blow to the casting process and to the movie.)
(ANOTHER UPDATE: Theler may not be out of the picture after all.  He hinted he has auditioned for the role of Captain Marvel after being cast in New Warriors.)
　

It's Official! Dwayne Johnson is Black Adam!

Dwayne Johnson officially confirmed  he will be playing Black Adam, setting the Shazam! movie, which has been in development for a dozen years to finally becoming a reality.  Johnson will also be a producer on the movie (presumably along with Michael Uslan and Diane Nelson) and with his ex-brother in law, Hiram Garcia, which indicates he will not have any creative input in the movie, his concern will be seeing to it Johnson gets all the perks and star treatment he's accustomed to.  The film will be released thru Warner Brothers' New Line Cinema division.  Darren Lemke is the secret writer Johnson alluded to in recent interviews.  Now that it is revealed Johnson is a producer on the film, he may have hand picked Lemke, who has written the scripts to Goosebumps, Turbo, Jack The Giant Slayer, and Shreck Forever After. New Line president Toby Emmerich, in a statement revealed the movie will be a different kind of superhero movie, "Shazam will have a tone unto itself. It’s a DC comic, but it’s not a Justice League character, and it’s not a Marvel comic. The tone and the feeling of the movie will be different from the other range of comic book movies ...[it] will have a sense of fun and a sense of humor. But the stakes have to be real.”  No word yet on who will direct, or any other casting, but expect those reports to begin happening very quickly, as the release date seems to be August 2016. (UPDATE: The proposed release date has changed to 2019).

Review: Batman '66 Meets The Green Hornet #4

This issue picks up where the last one left off, with the Hornet and Kato about to rob the bank, only to reveal its a ruse so he can plant a homing transmitter on the coin collection Gumm and The Joker are after.  But their plans are spoiled when Batman and Robin arrive.  There is a showdown between the two teams, while Gumm and the Joker purloin the coin collection.  When Batman realises a crime occurred, the Hornet and Kato make their escape.  The Dynamic Duo deduce where the Joker and Gumm are holding out (and a nice reference to the pilot episode), and arrive, only to find out its a trap.

As with previous issues, writers Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman capture the series perfectly, even if it treads more onto the sillier second season.  This issue, in particular has lots of nice Easter eggs for fans, and was over too quickly.  Ty Templeton's art is still stellar, and the cover by Alex Ross is his usual masterpiece.  This issue earns a solid A.

Review: Batman '66 #14

This issue sees the return of Jeff Parker as writer.  Thankfully, he turns in a story that is stronger than some of his other recent efforts.  Professor Overbeck, who is becoming a major character in this series, in conjunction with Batman, has created a Bat-Robot to take some of the burden of crime fighting off Batman's shoulders, allowing Bruce Wayne to have more leisure time.  With slight satirical nods to The Iron Giant and Robocop, the Bat-Robot rounds up Clock King, Louie the Lilac, and the Archer, allowing Bruce and Dick to go on a fishing trip. Next the Bat-Robot goes against a Joker-Riddler team-up, and an err in the robot's computations, causes the Giggling Gangsters the have the upper hand.  But Batman and Robin arrive in time to thwart the Laughing Larcenists.

Curiously, this issue has two artists.  Part 1 is drawn by Paul Rivoche, and he turns in excellent artwork.  A nice change of pace over the weak art of the last couple issues.  Part 2 is drawn by Craig Rousseau, and is not as good as Rivoche, but still good quality. 

As stated earlier, Parker turns in a stronger script this time. In addition to the mild satire of Robocop and The Iron Giant, he takes a jab at the Nolan Dark Knight films, where it seemed like Bruce was constantly looking for reasons to quit being Batman (perhaps it had to do with the fact Joe Chill was captured the same night as the murder of Bruce's parents, with Chill serving nearly 20 years in prison, thus eliminating Bruce's motive to become Batman in the first place.... but I digress). It was also great to finally see The Riddler back in these pages. My biggest critique of the series is that it is trying to be like the third and fourth seasons of the TV series, instead of the far superior first season. Symbolic of that is The Riddler sat out most of those seasons after dominating the first season, and likewise, The Riddler has been absent from most of this comic book series. This issue earns a B+.

Dwayne Johnson confirms he's playing Black Adam...kind of, sort of

Dwayne Johnson unofficially confirms the SHAZAM! movie has been given a green light, and hints that he will be playing Black Adam in this interview:

What struck me was what he said about the secret writer hired for the script. By my great powers of deduction, I can conclude it is not Geoff Johns or David Goyer. Both of them are "company guys", and such intricate negotiating that Johnson speaks of would not be needed. It also points to the fact that this writer must be a fairly well known and big name.

Something that causes me some concern is how Johnson emphasises the movie will be "grounded". I hope they do not Nolanize the World's Mightiest Mortal. In an ironic way, this film should be more "Marvel" like than the current DC movie house style of grim, dark, and reality based. This movie needs to be a contrast, showcasing color, fun, and humor along with the action-adventure and drama and pathos. This movie should be more like Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy than Chris Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. And that brings us to the question, have they signed a director? Will they bring Alex Ross aboard as a producer and creative consultant? (they need to!)  Hopefully the answers will come very soon.