Mark Strong has played a DC Comics villain before, starring as Sinestro in 2011's Green Lantern. That film was a disaster that set the DCU back a few years, but its star Ryan Reynolds went off and found greater success with Deadpool. So Strong is going to give it another go, although he's sticking with DC for the moment by joining the cast of Shazam.
Once again Strong will be playing a villain, Dr. Sivana, opposite Zachary Levi as Billy Batson aka Shazam. In fact, it was Sivana, a brilliant scientist who goes rogue, who figured out that Batson could transform into Shazam, the superhero with the power of ancient gods. While most consider Black Adam to be Shazam's nemesis, it's really Dr. Sivana.
Also joining the cast is Grace Fulton, who had a role in Annabelle: Creation, making this a reunion with director David F. Sandberg.
A Black Adam movie starring Dwayne Johnson is in the works, as well, and the expectation is that it will eventually lead to some kind of crossover. That's assuming both movies are well-received, of course. Shazam will hit theaters in 2019. [TheWrap/Variety]
