Rolling in the Deep or Struck by Lightning?

   In the midst of this resurgence in superhero fanaticism, we've found ourselves on the battlefield of Marvel Studios Vs. DC Entertainment. At this point, it's unarguable that Marvel has the upper hand in this war with their many successes at the box office. You can't read or watch an entertainment section without hearing about the latest comic book movie soon to arrive at your local theater. Other than the colossal success of The Guardians of the Galaxy feature film, the biggest news in comic book films remains Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and more recently, the casting of Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam. Black Adam is the main villain (sometimes anti-hero) of the DC Comics character Shazam, formerly known as Captain Marvel. However, even with the excitement surrounding Dwayne Johnson's casting as a mainstream comics villain in the DC/Marvel films arena, there still remains a casting rumor that has never dwindled in popularity, the alleged casting of Jason Mamoa as the love him or hate him hero, Aquaman.

   I know what you're thinking. "What do you mean by alleged casting. That rumor was confirmed!" Yes, the rumor has been confirmed, albeit, from one source, The Hollywood Reporter. Entertainment outlets have been clamoring for an official statement from Jason Mamoa and DC Entertainment for months. To get the scoop on official casting news surrounding a major comic film would be monumental for any entertainment journalist or media outlet. I call shenanigans on this report. Neither Mamoa or DC Entertainment, to this day, has confirmed THR's claims.

   In July, Huffpost Live reporter, Alyona Minkovski interviewed Jason Momoa. The main focus of the interview centered around his directorial debut with the movie Road to Paloma. Although, not to miss an opportunity, Alyona managed to throw in some questions about Mamoa possibly playing Aquaman in the upcoming Batman V Superman film. His response was to feign ignorance of what Alyona was inquiring. Notable statements of "Huh" and "I don't know about that" come to mind. The only response that would give you any acknowledgement of truth to the rumors was a "We'll just have to wait and see." Later in August, Mamoa would go on to post an interesting meme on Instagram that seemingly debunks his possible casting as Aquaman. All that can really be confirmed is that DC Entertainment has been in talks with Mamoa. As for what role he may be in talks about, no one other than Mamoa and DC Entertainment truly knows.  This brings us back to the current media blitz surrounding Dwayne Johnson and the Shazam! film.

   Now that Johnson has been cast as the villain in the fore mentioned film, the big question remains, who will be cast as the film's hero, Shazam? I'm making a call. My bet is on our alleged Aquaman, Jason Mamoa. There is a considerable lack of evidence of Mamoa being a part of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Taking into account how quickly the news of casting for other roles in the film were announced and confirmed, it stands to reason that there is no real bite to the rumors. Consider Dwayne Johnson's similar vague statements surrounding his talks with DC Entertainment. It seems far more likely that Jason Mamoa's mirrored hesitance to speak surrounds the Shazam! film. I think it would be an inspired casting choice. Mamoa has the build, the likeness, he very nearly matches Dwayne Johnson's height. It would be a perfect match up. Just check out the photo below.