Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson hints at Shazam role

LONDON, July 21 (UPI) -- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has confirmed his involvement in a new DC Comics movie, and it appears he will star as superhero Shazam.

The 42-year-old actor spoke about the project to TotalFilm over the weekend. While Johnson did not explicitly confirm the role, he did provide details that point in the character's direction.

"There's a character out there that we're going to announce very soon that I'm going to play," he teased. "I'll just say this: He has the power of Superman... and it's not Green Lantern, by the way. Believe me -- John Stewart -- he was a character I wanted to play, but there was already a version of Green Lantern, and so now we've gone in a slightly different direction."

"This character has the power of Superman," he reiterated. "He can throw down. Just say the word. That's all I'm going to say."

DC Comics character Billy Batson says the word "Shazam" to transform into superhero Captain Marvel. The character was created in 1939, and renamed Shazam in 2011 due to conflicts with Marvel Comics over their hero of the same name.

In the comics, Batson is a 12-year-old boy who is granted his powers by the wizard Shazam. The wizard's name is an acronym for legendary figures Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury, who bestow their wisdom, strength, stamina, power, courage and speed upon Batson when he says "Shazam." The word transforms him into an adult with superhuman strength, speed and intellect.

Johnson is expected to make the official announcement at San Diego Comic-Con this week. The actor will next star in Hercules on July 25, and is scheduled to appear in Fast & Furious 7 and San Andreas in 2015.