Exclusive: 'Get Smart' Director Peter Segal Talks 'Shazam'!!!
by Joseph McCabe
Fanboys everywhere may have expressed some concern when Peter Segal was announced as the director of Shazam!, the long-awaited feature film debut of the legendary comic-book superhero Captain Marvel. But Segal assured me, when I spoke with him at last weekend's Wondercon (where he was previewing his latest film Get Smart) that despite his film comedy credentials--which include Tommy Boy and The Nutty Professor II--he won't be treating Shazam! as a joke...
"I was quoted...somebody said that I'm trying to make it a light-hearted comedy," he said, "which is not true. We're really trying to be faithful to the original source material."
"As a matter of fact," added Segal, "Geoff Johns is a consultant on this; and he's obviously Mr. Black Adam"--referring to Captain Marvel's longtime arch-foe.
"What attracted me to it was the humanity of a boy trapped inside this superhero. You know, there are other guys out there that you would picture as the director of a comic-book movie, but I think the reason they came to me was because there is an innate sense of humor within that, and that's one of the reasons why I love the comic book. Yes, there will be great kick-ass action, but it's a wonderful story of this guy who doesn't know how to deal with all these powers, and also deal with the sexuality of being 28 years old outwardly when [he's] 13 on the inside. So it's a lot of fun."
We asked Segal if Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (reportedly cast as Black Adam) remains the only performer confirmed thus far for the film.
"Yeah," he said, "I mean we haven't made his deal yet, but God bless him. I would love for him to play Black Adam. It's very early in the idea phase for Billy, but we'll see."
Segal further remarked, "We are working hard on the script. John August is in the middle of his work. The strike kind of slowed us down a little, but we're back on track, and Warner Brothers is really excited about it, along with New Line."
To hear Peter Segal's comments on Shazam!, be sure to check out our video overview of movie news from Wondercon 2008!
