At the Movies: Is Jake Gyllenhaal Marvelous?

New Line is "ready to spend up to $200 million" to launch a Shazam! film franchise, with Jake Gyllenhaal playing Captain Marvel aka Billy Batson, a source tells the New York Daily News. Director Peter Segal is said to want to nab the Brokeback hunk before Sam Raimi possibly grabs him to front any Spider-Man 4.... It will be a Monster's Ball reunion — minus that craaaazy couch sex, I imagine — when Billy Bob Thornton joins Halle Berry for Tulia, about an ACLU lawyer out to expose a racially motivated rash of drug convictions in 1999 Texas.

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Posted by

Matt Webb Mitovich

Mar 14, 2007 9:20 AM

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I thought there were only supposed to be three Spiderman movies.
Posted by maurine Mar 14, 2007 9:37 AM Report Abuse

If there is a fourth or more, Tobey has gone on record as saying, "Recast away!" (I paraphrase, of course.)
Posted by Matt Webb Mitovich Mar 14, 2007 9:40 AM Report Abuse

Oh really? So Tobes doesn't want to don the suit a fourth time?
Posted by maurine Mar 14, 2007 10:07 AM Report Abuse

I hope this falls through -- in my opinion, Jake (who's awesome) is all wrong for Captain Marvel. Billy Batson should be younger, and Cappy should be a bigger guy.
Posted by Seanti Mar 14, 2007 11:04 AM Report Abuse

Cappy should be a bigger guy. Whoa, was that a Brokeback nude scene dig?!
Posted by Matt Webb Mitovich Mar 14, 2007 11:10 AM Report Abuse

Billy Batson should be younger, and Cappy should be a bigger guy. - Seanti In previous filmed adaptations -- the '40s movie serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel and the '70s Saturday morning TV show Shazam -- Captain Marvel and Billy Batson were played by two different actors.
Posted by Chappy Quiddick Mar 14, 2007 12:07 PM Report Abuse

Ooh, good point, Chappy. I totally forgot that. So it'd be Jake as the Captain and, like, Haley Joel Osment as Billy.
Posted by Matt Webb Mitovich Mar 14, 2007 12:14 PM Report Abuse

I just don't get the appeal of either of the Gyllenhaals...
Posted by tvforever Mar 14, 2007 12:18 PM Report Abuse

I like Jake, but he looks just like Tobey McGuire. He'll make an excellent recast of Spiderman. They need to pick someone with their own look for Shazam! How about one of the Supernatural guys? They'll be available soon.
Posted by xanana Mar 14, 2007 12:31 PM Report Abuse

Dang, Matt's feeling a little randy today!
Posted by nolan34 Mar 14, 2007 12:35 PM Report Abuse

I'm not familiar with Captain Marvel or Billy Batson.
Posted by maurine Mar 14, 2007 1:18 PM Report Abuse

So it'd be Jake as the Captain and, like, Haley Joel Osment as Billy. Well, I'm sure that Haley said "Shazam" (or something like it) a few times after he flipped his car in a drunken/stoned stupor last summer.
Posted by Chappy Quiddick Mar 14, 2007 2:01 PM Report Abuse

Chappy!
Posted by xanana Mar 14, 2007 5:49 PM Report Abuse

Gyllenhall will someday become an SAT question: Jake Gyllenhall is to Toby McGuire what Skeet Ulrich is to Johnny Depp.
Posted by fx772k1 Mar 14, 2007 7:00 PM Report Abuse

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