'Shazam!' Talking to John August

What superhero screenwriter will you not see at Comic-Con this year? That would be John August, who is toiling on the first draft of "Shazam!" the New Line Cinema film that is expected to bring Captain Marvel to the screen in one of the next few summers. "I've never been to Comic-Con. I'm sure I will be going down the road. I hear it's pretty intense, pretty massive," he said.

Massive and intense is exactly right, and the fans take their beloved heroes pretty seriously, as August is already learning. He’s familiar to genre fans for his work with director Tim Burton ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Corpse Bride" and "Big Fish"), but the Colorado native was never a comic book guy ("I was," he says, "a Dungeons & Dragons kid.")

And some Captain Marvel fans are unhappy with him already, thanks to his blog comments about the classic 1940s comics that introduced the hero: "What you quickly realize is that old-time comic books were awkwardly written, crudely drawn, and bewilderingly inconsistent with their rules." Some fans of the venerable hero are also alarmed by the choice of director: Peter Segal, who brought the world "The Longest Yard," "50 First Dates" and "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult."

I caught up with August for lunch the other day, and though he was mum on details, he revealed a lot about his hopes for a project that New Line expects to make a franchise. He's looking for a movie that will be funny and lighthearted but respectful of the classic elements of the comics: A boy named Billy Batson meets a wizard and is told that when he utters the word "Shazam!" a bolt of magic lighting will transform him into an adult hero in a cool red suit. The movie will be set in modern day, not the World War II era that some fans hoped for.

The classic costume -- red and yellow with a white cape that is loosely tied around his neck -- will be honored. There will be a super-powered villain too, and though August wouldn't say who, he did smirk a bit when I praised Black Adam as the wonderful counterpoint to the sunny Captain Marvel.

"No comment," August said.

August said his work on "Chocolate Factory" probably led to this project: "Like Charlie, Billy Batson has an innate goodness, he’s is pure, and that is why Billy is chosen to be a hero and why Charlie succeeds." I mentioned the movie "Big," and August nodded that, yes, that is a strong reference point for the boy-in-a-man theme of the film, although he added that he rarely cited it because it might give "the super-fans" something new to fret about.

(We didn't talk about casting, because it's way too early in the process, but Jake Gyllenhaal has been mentioned and IMDB lists the Rock as "in talks" for the role. IMDB also cites Brandon Molale as possible, and he is an absolute dead ringer for Marvel; he may not have major name recognition, but he did appear in "The Longest Yard," so Segal knows him.)

I mentioned to August that two years ago I chatted with one of the "Shazam!" producers, Michael E. Uslan, and he told me even then that any Captain Marvel movie’s great challenge would be answering one question: If you were a little kid who could turn into an all-powerful, handsome adult, why on Earth would you ever change back?

August’s answer: "That's absolutely a key part of the movie. Billy doesn’t want to turn back; that’s central to the story. And a lot of the movie hinges upon that and Billy’s relationship with his best friend and that disparity. They are two teen friends and then suddenly one of them is 30 and a hero. So it creates tension. You know, as a screenwriter, that’s the thing, to take what seems to be a problem and make it a key element of the story. But Michael hit it on the head; that’s one of the emotional cores of this story. So to me it's a great problem to have."

In the 1940s, Captain Marvel comics actually outsold Superman for a time and August thinks the character could fly high again. One thing does worry him: All these comic book movies might be wearing on moviegoers.

"Inevitably there is going to be a fatigue," August said. "At this point too every movie has to be bigger. The scale has gotten so big. What I like about ‘Shazam’ is that a lot of what is great about the movie and what is most fun about the movie is small."

-- Geoff Boucher

Comments

[Rod]

I just want to say that i am looking forward to the movie!! I love the fact that most of my fav. comic books are getting a leg up onto the movie screen and hope this trend continues. This way more people start to get into the genre and more comics sell and more movies are made. Keeps both industries flowing well. Hope the first draft goes well and the movie is out soon!
Thanx

[michael]

Two friends, one who becomes an adult and they fight? Still sounds like "Big". I will withold further judgment. But don't screw it up!

[Beck fan]

They MUST get Alex Ross to be the movie's creative consultant and script advisor!