Asher Angel to Play Billy Batson Alongside Zachary Levi in DC's 'Shazam!'

New Line and DC Entertainment's "Shazam!" has found its Billy Batson. Asher Angel of Disney's hit kids' show "Andi Mack" is set to portray the child counterpart of DC's Captain Marvel, who changes from a boy to a man with the powers of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury. The magic word to spark the transformation, Shazam, is an acronym for the people Captain Marvel gets his powers from.

According to THR, New Line is zeroing in on the rest of the movie's cast alongside Angel and Zachary Levi ("Alias Grace"), who's set to play the high-powered superhero. Mark Strong ("The Imitation Game") is currently in talks to play the movie's villain, with Grace Fulton ("Annabelle: Creation") tapped for an unknown lead role. Production will start early next year, after previous reports that "Shazam!" is the next DC movie to film ahead of "Batgirl," "Flashpoint," and the "Suicide Squad" sequel.

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"Shazam" director David F. Sandberg ("Annabelle: Creation") confirmed the news of Angel's casting via Instagram (post above). He will be directing the flick off a screenplay from Henry Gayden ("Earth to Echo") and Darren Lemke ("Goosebumps").

Angel made a name for himself with his role as Jonah Beck, the hunk of heroine Andi Mack's heart in the Disney show of the same name. The series previously made headlines by announcing the Disney Channel's first ever coming out story arc, centered on the show's young gay character Cyrus Goodman, played by Joshua Rush ("The Lion Guard"). On the upcoming season, Cyrus will realize he also has feelings for Jonah, and the show will feature Cyrus' journey to self-acceptance. Angel recently wrapped up his feature film debut in the indie film "On Pointe."

"Shazam" will premiere April 5, 2019.

What do you think of Angel's casting? Who else would you like to see in "Shazam!"? Let us know in the comments below!

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