Is Geoff Johns Teasing A Major DC Extended Universe Announcement?

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Amidst of all the rumors and clickbait articles that have surrounded the DC Extended Universe as of late, it’s always a welcomed sight to get something—anything—from official people attached to the films, even if it’s only in the form of a tease.

And that official person, is none other than DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer & DC Films Co-President, Geoff Johns, who recently took to Twitter, to deliver a most peculiar tweet:

No words, no captions, just 3 slices of pizza. But what could it mean? After over a hundred replies, it was clear that no one had a clue what the enigmatic tweet meant (and Geoff himself must’ve been quite satisfied with the beguilement he was able to pull off). No one, that is, except this eagle-eyed DC enthusiast and writer.

So, what did Geoff’s tweet mean? Follow us, dear reader, as we attempt to unpack its secret meaning. But before we begin, it’s perhaps necessary to offer the following disclaimer:

As an independent fan site, and in the interest of avoiding rumors, it should be made known that the following opinions are strictly speculative, and should NOT be taken as verified confirmation. Further, neither Geoff nor anyone at WB/DC had been contacted on this matter. Thus, for all we know, the above tweet could very well be taken at face value, and Geoff was perhaps just tweeting out his hunger for Domino’s or Papa Johns (though we think otherwise, as it’s rare that Geoff uses social media in such a trite manner), and that this has nothing whatsoever to do with the DCEU.

So, with the legalities out of the way, let’s begin.

Based on the evidence (and in depth fan knowledge), we believe the tweet is a reference to Shazam.

First, as we recently reported, director David F. Sandberg has already begun preproduction for Shazam, which is the next DCEU film to go into production.

Stop and ask yourself, how does a film go into production, without its principle cast? As it stands, the only actor that has been cast, that is even remotely related to this particular franchise is Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, in the role of Black Adam (though it has been confirmed by Geoff Johns himself that Black Adam will not feature in the Shazam film, but rather in a subsequent solo film based on the titular character’s namesake). Thus, can production, which usually includes costume designs (a MAJOR aspect of superhero films), truly begin without the main character(s) already having been cast?

While we are no film experts, that nonetheless seems rather difficult. But as Sandberg himself confirmed, he’d been working on the developmental phase of the film for quite some time before it was officially announced at SDCC this year, that he landed the director role. This level of secrecy is not uncommon, as Warner Bros. is notorious for being tight-lipped as it pertains to announcements.

However, they can’t stay silent forever, and at some point, an announcement has to be made. Director Sandberg had also already stated that he would be working with a boy and an adult actor (for Billy Batson and Shazam, respectively) for the film. But what if he and Geoff Johns have already chosen those actors?

Which brings us to the 3 slices of pizza. What if it wasn’t meant to be pizza at all? The main ingredient of pizza is cheese. However, although Twitter does have an emoji for cheese, perhaps pizza slices were the better option, as it would allow Geoff to remain enigmatic. And it worked.

So, what’s the big deal about cheese?

Well, Shazam (the hero formerly known as ‘Captain Marvel’) was not-so-affectionately known as the ‘Big Red Cheese’ by his enemies in the Golden, as well as part of the Silver Ages of comics.

It was a name that fans of the character also affectionately used to denote the hero’s inherent campiness. However, as time passed, the moniker was used less and less, as Shazam’s campy nature dwindled, and his ‘cheesy’ persona become a more snarky one. Thus, it becomes the perfect, outdated means of teasing an upcoming announcement to a mostly unsuspecting fan base.

3 slices of pepperoni (which is red) pizza. “Big-Red-Cheese”. Something only the DC Guru, and a few keen fans would recognize.

Now, could we wrong about all this? It’s possible. Maybe Geoff just likes pizza (who doesn’t?), as DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson attempted to point out in her subsequent tweet.


But we don’t think so, and if our hunch is correct, then fans can expect an announcement(s) (casting, possible costume designs, etc.) about the Shazam film very shortly.

So, fellow DC enthusiasts, what are your thoughts? Are we in left field? Are we just seeing Shazam faces in our oatmeal? Or do you think a Shazam announcement is coming? Possibly before the end of the year? Sound off in the comments below.

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