Considering he's known for crafting well-received horrors like Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation, David F. Sandberg doesn't seem like the right fit for DC Comics film, Shazam! The character, formerly known as Captain Marvel, is a superhero with Superman-esque powers, but he's really just a kid named Billy Batson. It's a premise that is perfectly geared for younger audiences, and Sandberg tells the Toronto Sun that he's ready to handle the tonal shift...
“The big attraction for me with that character is the fact that every kid dreams of being Superman, right? I mean I certainly did, and (Billy Batson) is a kid that gets that chance. He gets to become the superhero. So it’ll be big with superpowers in a way. In terms of what people can expect, I think this will be one of the more fun or lighthearted movies so far in the DC universe. It certainly will be a departure.”
Batson is just a normal kid, but when he speaks the magic word "SHAZAM!" he transforms into the superhero with the powers of six immortal elders that include Solomon, Hercules, Achilles, Zeus, Atlas, and Mercury. It's a fun concept, and if done right should fit in well with the lighter tone Geoff Johns hopes to establish in the DCEU.
At this point nobody has been cast as either Billy Batson or Shazam, and with Dwayne Johnson confirmed not to appear as rival Black Adam there is no confirmed casting at all. Expect that to change soon, though, as Shazam! is expected to arrive in 2019.
