Yahoo News Captain Marvel star jumps to DCEU for Shazam
Djimon Hounsou has notched a very special place in comic book movie history with his latest casting.
The actor is probably best known to genre fans for playing Kree warrior Korath the Pursuer in Guardians of the Galaxy, a role that he'll be reprising for next year's Captain Marvel.
Hounsou has also just accepted a role with Marvel's rival studio DC to play the Wizard in Shazam!, in which he'll star opposite Zachary Levi and Asher Angel (via Entertainment Weekly).
The Wizard is the mystical being who imbues young orphan Billy Batson (Angel) with the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury - turning him into an adult superhero (Levi) any time he says the acronym SHAZAM.
Here's the history-making part: Shazam was originally created by the now-defunct Fawcett Comics in 1940 and called… Captain Marvel!
His name was later changed to Shazam when Marvel Comics rose to prominence and created its own original character called Captain Marvel.
This means that Djimon Hounsou's two roles as Korath the Pursuer in the MCU and the Wizard in the DCEU make him the only person to appear on-screen with both versions of Captain Marvel.
Hounsou has some previous experience in the DC Universe too. He played the voodoo prince Papa Midnite in the 2005 film version of Constantine.
Shazam - which will also star Mark Strong as the evil Doctor Sivana - is slated to open on April 5, 2019 in UK and US cinemas.
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