According to Variety, screenwriter Bill Birch has been given the task of adapting the DC comic book character Captain Marvel for Warner Bros. big screen version of Shazam! — a project that already has Get Smart helmer Peter Segal attached to direct.
Birch, who is currently writing the film One Finger Salute for Warner Bros., comes to the project following several other drafts by prominant screenwriters such as John August, Bryan Goluboff, Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow and even William Goldman. In addition, Geoff Johns, currently enjoying a very successful run on DC’s Blackest Night, will co-write and consult on the project.
According to the trade, Segal and Ewing began working on the film three years ago at New Line before it moved over to Warners. In case you’re not familiar, the film centers on teenager Billy Batson, who transforms into the superhero Captain marvel when he says the word “Shazam!” The studio is now looking to go back to the original DC Comics source material for inspiration.
Good idea. What took you so long to figure that out?
