Today's Variety reports that New Line Cinema is teaming with fellow Time/Warner company DC Comics to create a feature film based on the classic comic book character Shazam!.  Michael Uslan, a veteran producer with credits from Warner Brothers Batman films, will be the executive producer of the new film, which is based on the 60-year-old comic title.  Originally published by Fawcett in Whiz Comics in 1940, Captain Marvel was created by writer Bill Parker and artist C.C. Beck, who crafted one of the most popular creations of comic's Golden Age in the story of a puny, homeless newsboy (Billy Batson), who could transform himself into a muscular superhero simply by saying the word 'Shazam' (an acronym for the ancient heroes, Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury).

 

While DC's Paul Levitz told Variety, 'We're pleased to be developing one of the gems of our library with one of our sister companies,' he didn't mention the twisted history of the character, which involved a lengthy and bitter lawsuit between Captain Marvel publisher Fawcett and DC Comics.  DC felt that Captain Marvel was too close in conception to Superman, and sued Fawcett. The lawsuit dragged on for over a decade until Fawcett decided, largely due to low sales, to cease publication of Captain Marvel in 1953 and ended the lawsuit by agreeing never to publish the title again.  In the 1970s DC Comics purchased the entire stable of dormant Fawcett superheroes, but by this time Marvel comics was already going strong, so when DC revived the character it did so under the Shazam! title rather than as Captain Marvel.  After a five year run in the 70s, DC abandoned the character, though there have been sporadic attempts, including an 80s mini-series and an ill-fated stint with the JLA, to revive the property.  DC has published three volumes of the Shazam Archives, and has a Jeff Smith Shazam series in the pipe.