Shazam’s biggest surprise was even a secret to the cast auditioning

There were some amazing moments in Shazam, including one shocking twist at the very end. And it turns out it was a big secret even in auditions.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for those who haven’t seen Shazam yet. 

For those who’ve seen Shazam, you’re well aware there is one major surprise in store for all of us towards the very end of the film.

According to SyFy Wire, it turns out that surprise was just as much a secret for the actors taking on those roles as it was to the rest of us. In fact, the actors did not even know what they were auditioning for!

In the shocking moment we are taking about, Billy Batson shares his powers with the rest of his foster family, gifting them with the same abilities that he has, and creating the Shazam Family. As each of the foster children puts their hand on the wizard’s magical staff, they say the word Shazam and transform into an adult superhero, just like Billy did.

Of course, this means the movie needed some adults to take on those roles. And while we know that Adam Brody, Michelle Borth, D.J. Cotrona, and Megan Good fill those roles, according to the director of the film, David F Sandberg, the stars had no clue these were the roles they’d take on.

During the audition process with these actors, they were never told that they would be playing superheroes. Instead, the screenwriter for the movie, Henry Gayden, wrote some scenes that would allow the actors to show different traits associated with their characters. But, instead of them being superheroes, they assumed they every day people in an everyday situation.

What makes this all so special is the fact that both Catrona and Brody were once slated to play superheroes for the DC. At one point, Catrona was supposed to take on the role of Superman and Brody would have been The Flash in the Justice League project that was set to be done by George Miller. That project never happened (obviously), and their superhero days were thought to the be in the past.

Sandberg tells SyFy Wire he didn’t even realize that until after he was cast, sharing, “They finally get to be superheroes in a DC movie.”

As fans of the DC comics, we were thrilled that the movie introduced the Shazam Family, even if it was at the very end of the film. This gives us plenty of hope there’ll be a sequel, giving us a chance to see more of their powers.