The New York Daily News reported yesterday that Jake Gyllenhaal is up for role of Captain Marvel in Shazam!, the New Line Cinema big-screen adaptation based on the DC Comics character.
In the paper’s Rush & Molloy gossip section, the columists reported that Shazam! director Peter Segal and his producers want to get the Brokeback Mountain star for their movie before director Sam Raimi snatches Gyllenhaal for the lead in the Spider-Man franchise. Tobey Maguire, who stars in Spider-Man 3 opening May 4, has said that he might not play the superhero in future installments.
According to the paper’s inside sources, Shazam! is New Line’s bid for a franchise on the order of Batman and Superman, claiming that the studio is “ready to spend up to $200 million to get it started.”
The Hollywood Reporter recently confirmed that John August has been hired to write Shazam! and that he’s consulted with DC Comics writer Geoff Johns for “idiot checking” to make sure that the character was consistent with what fans love about him.
