I'm not sure what cracks me up more about the plans to make a film out of Shazam!, the comic book in which young Billy Batson transforms into the super-strong Captain Marvel (as drawn by Jeff Smith at left) whenever he says that magic word: the fact that, as Heidi Macdonald mentions, William Goldman wrote the screenplay, or that director Peter Segal can't get to it right away because he's shooting a Get Smart! remake first (with Steve Carell, no less).

The real question, though, is how closely this movie will hew to the classic comic book, in which Billy Batson is maybe eleven or twelve, or that '70s show, where he was clearly in his late teens. Either way, with Segal (Tommy Boy, 50 First Dates) at the helm, it's bound to be wacky...almost as wacky as the convoluted history by which DC Comics publishes the adventures of a superhero named Captain Marvel, but of course can't call the book that, and how closely the character resembles Superman anyhow...