Ever since he was dubbed “franchise Viagra”, Dwayne Johnson has been one of the most in-demand performers in Hollywood. So it’s no surprise that he was scooped up years ago by Warner Bros. and attached to star in one of its DC Extended Universe films, Shazam. That project recently went through a pretty major evolution in that Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema decided to split Shazam into two movies, one focusing on the titular hero, and one focusing on the anti-hero/ Shazam’s nemesis called Black Adam. Johnson is attached to play Black Adam in that film, and while development on these movies continues with no release date yet set, Johnson has been thinking about who he wants to square off with onscreen, and he recently revealed a highly tantalizing name.

The hero Shazam, also called Captain Marvel, is able to wield enormous strength , speed, and mental abilities. It’s an enviable role for any superhero-looking actor, and when We Got This Covered asked Johnson who he’d like to see play Shazam in the DCEU, he offered up a pretty exciting pick:

“I’m gonna throw one name out here and I wanna see how the fans are gonna react ot this. A guy who I met, after I met him I was like, ‘Man that guy’s such a cool guy, he’s a lot bigger than I thought he would be.’ And when I walked away I remember telling our who I’ve worked with for a long time, Hiram Garcia—we both looked at each other and were like, ‘Possibly Shazam?’ I’m not even gonna tell you his name, I’m just gonna say Lone Ranger.”

fate-of-the-furious-dwayne-johnson
Image via Universal Pictures

That would be Armie Hammer, an incredibly talented actor who has recently been pegged by fans as a solid choice to play Green Lantern in the DCEU. Hammer’s certainly got the build and physique, but also the acting chops. He broke out in a big way with The Social Network, then shined in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and most recently turned in a charming-as-hell performance in Free Fire. You’ll see him deliver the performance of his career later this year in the drama Call Me By Your Name, so yeah, this guy is one hell of an actor who would certainly be a solid addition to the DCEU.

But Johnson was quick to point out this is just him spitballing and not even the studio knows he’s had his eye on Hammer for the role:

“You could see that right? I don’t know if he’s interested, and by the way, the studio doesn’t even know that we’ve been having these conversations. I just remember meeting him and walking away going, ‘Man that guy would look great I bet as Shazam’—and by the way he’s one of a handful [of names].”

He’s certainly got my vote. Do it to it, Warner Bros./New Line!

shazam-superman-black-adam
Image via DC Comics
armie-hammer-batman
Image via A24