EARTH TO ECHO Scribe Henry Gayden Confirms Report That He's Writing SHAZAM!

After being mentioned in last week's Black Adam/Shazam report, screenwriter Henry Gayden has taken to Twitter to confirm that he is indeed penning the script for WB's Shazam movie.

By RohanPatel - Jan 22, 2017 12:01 PM EST

Filed Under: Shazam

There's been a lot of major movement on the Shazam! front over the past week as it went from being just one film to being two as a solo feature for Black Adam was officially announced with Dwayne Johnson headlining. While both films are still in the very early stages of development, with still no directors attached, the recent activity has shed some light on who may be writing one of these two DC cinematic adventures.

The Hollywood Reporter, in their initial report on Thursday, revealed that they believed Henry Gayden (Earth to Echo) had been assigned scriptwriting duties and on Friday, Gayden himself confirmed the news on his own personal Twitter account. Check out his exchange with a fan below:

@annericelover Confirmed and loving what's to come... :)
— Henry Gayden (@HenryGayden) January 20, 2017

Outside of Earth to Echo, which had a fairly average critical reception, Hayden has written the shorts Ham Sandwich and Zombie Roadkill. He also previously worked as an assistant on Spider-Man 3.

Shazam! is currently slated to release April 5, 2019, but with Black Adam possibly being fast-tracked, that date is subject to change.

So, what do you guys think? Sound off with your thoughts below!

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146 Comments

1 2 3 4

Kr08 - 1/22/2017, 10:59 AM

Saw Earth to Echo, and I can say that it was a decent film... for kids. SHAZAM will be a film that truly appeals to a younger audience. A kid gets the power of gods, gets to become a superhero, and gets to fight alongside Superman? What kid wouldn't want that?

I think Stanger Things' Gaten Matarazzo would make the perfect Billy Batson. He's got the charm, acting ability, and the star power.

PrinceAwesome - 1/22/2017, 12:23 PM

@Kr08 - Right show, wrong kid. Finn Wolfhard would make a better Billy.

Kr08 - 1/22/2017, 11:08 AM

Here's how I think the SHAZAM and Black Adam films should play out.

Release the Black Adam film first. Establish the mythology and the rise of Black Adam. The film should show how he was born into slavery, was consumed by hate, and how he stole his nephew's powers by killing him. Then show how he became a the savior turned tyrant of Kahndaq that would kill anyone who dare threaten him, his people, or his country. The film ends with him being trapped by the Wizard as time passes by to modern day. We see the Wizard choose a new warrior, then Black Adam wakes up.

The second film should basically be an adaptation of Geoff Johns New 52 version of SHAZAM with a mix of Superman/SHAZAM: The Return of Black Adam. This would show the audience that they're in the same universe, and that we could see Billy in the Justice League, or more of Black Adam in the future.

PrinceAwesome - 1/22/2017, 12:18 PM

@Kr08 - *sigh* what could have been...

Giacommo Gianotti looks just like Shazam plus he has the wit and playfulness to play the character as he demonstrated in Grey's Anatomy. Plus, Manu Bennet would have been a better choice for Adam than the Rock, imo.

ElJefe - 1/22/2017, 12:29 PM

@Kr08 - I agree - but I'm guessing Rock won't want to stay the big bad for long.

stickali - 1/22/2017, 12:36 PM

@ElJefe - An interesting perspective would be Shazam thinking this is just a generic bad guy and fighting him and Superman coming to show him the world isn't as black and white as most people think.

BloodyBed - 1/22/2017, 12:06 PM

KnifeWasTooSlow - 1/22/2017, 12:07 PM

I've got this funny feeling the movie ain't happening... Like Cyborg, or The Flash, I hope am wrong tho.

ThatAlexDude - 1/22/2017, 12:24 PM

@LeonardTheWise - All things post Justice League is a mystery...

...for now, at least.

1 2 3 4

EARTH TO ECHO Scribe Henry Gayden Confirms Report That He's Writing SHAZAM!

After being mentioned in last week's Black Adam/Shazam report, screenwriter Henry Gayden has taken to Twitter to confirm that he is indeed penning the script for WB's Shazam movie.

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