Director David F. Sandberg has confirmed that pre-production process has been in full swing over the last month or so.

Fans are still waiting to see who will be cast in either part of the filming scheduled to start early next year, it looked as though Shazam! was on track to hit the old 2019 release. Thankfully (and somewhat surprisingly) that is still the plan.

Sandberg confirmed on Reddit that the film is on track to hit the previously unclaimed Warner Bros. April 2019 release slot. Considering WB's track record with their production schedules for their DC films, this is hardly a huge surprise, but it is great to finally get confirmation on this. Just a few months ago, it was unclear if this movie was even going to happen, so to have it set to hit theaters in a year and a half is welcomed confirmation. He did not specify that the April 5, 2019 date is the definitive date, so things could still shift a bit, but it looks like this will be the film's actual release date after all.

Shazam and Tawky Tawny the Tiger

With this release date now confirmed, it will put Warner Bros. closer to being on their hopeful track of releasing three DC films a year. They've released two in a calendar year once before in 2016 with Wonder Woman 2 closing it out.

Still, it is rather surprising the prominence in the DC slate that Shazam! has received, coming before solo movies for Batman, Flash, Cyborg, and the Green Lanterns to name a few. However, all indications are that Shazam! will significantly shake up the tone of the DC universe with Sandberg aiming for DC's lightest film yet. The character lends itself to that tone and the comedic sensibilities Sandberg has infused the film with - as evident by the audition tapes.

Shazam! will firmly be part of the DC continuity and some have even wondered if Henry Cavill's the entire Marvel Family in play, Shazam! should be able to embrace the fun, and it won't be too long now before it hits theaters.

NEXT: Shazam Adds Annabelle 2 Crew

Source: David F. Sandberg