If you thought TV was the only medium thwarted by the infamous 2007-2008 WGA strike, you’re plum wrong. Film writers have had an enormous backlog of scripts to fill in the aftermath of the strike.
Comic fans will feel the aftershock of the WGA strike for years to come. The Justice League, a DC Comics title, film was delayed due to rewrites during the Scribe strike. Now, “Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam!” will also be delayed.
In a recent interview with First Showing, “Shazam!” director Peter Segal said that there would be a delay with production on “Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam.” The reason being that screenwriter John August was backed up with prior scribe commitments.
But, don’t fear Shazam! fans, this may be a blessing in disguise from the Rock of Eternity (no pun intended to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who will play the role of Black Adam).
Segal has no qualms about taking time with the rewrites due to the uniqueness of the character. “The reason why I signed on to this knowing fully well that there was an ‘Iron Man’, at that time in the works, and all of these other comic book properties out there is because I still believe that ‘Shazam’ is unique. It’s a different kind of story.”
Segal has shown off his own comic savvy stating, “It’s not about science, it’s not about a rich man and this is nothing against – my gosh, I adore Batman and Iron Man — but rich guys with problems inventing gadgets that help them fight crime. This is about magic, and it puts it more into a Harry Potter-esque kind of world and it – what I love also is the tone of it. It’s Big meets Superman. And that’s not like anything else out there. And especially now that there are some legal tangles with Superman as a property, it might be just the right time for Captain Marvel… Ooooh — I like the sound of that!”
Kudos to Segal for actually doing his research. Let’s just hope that this movie isn’t filled with any crap-ass corny dialogue that plagued all three Spider-Man films.
