The latest film phase is set to arrive next Spring with the April 5, 2019 release of New Line Cinema’s DC adaptation, Shazam!. James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly unveiled the new official first look prominently featuring Zachary Levi in costume as the superheroic adult counterpart of young Billy Batson, played by actor Angel Asher. Also seen in the photo with Levi is It co-star, actor Jack Dylan Grazer.
We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana.
Shazam! Also stars Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana with Grace Fulton, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans, and Ron Cephas Jones as the Wizard.
Lights Out helmer David Sandberg is quoted in Tuesday’s EW exclusive describing the costume as derived from elements from previous screen iterations of the character, as well as that of our hero’s hood from New 52 publication in 2011.
“I wanted to keep the shorter cape as a throwback to the original because that’s something that sets him apart from Superman or Batman,” the director tells EW. “It makes him feel a bit more Golden Age superhero, which is the vibe I’m going for.”
With San Diego Comic-Con approaching, there may be some more updates and surprises as we await to learn about the fate of the struggling DCCU at Warner Bros.; Shazam! marks an unofficial entry in that same film universe while aiming for a much more light-hearted tone than delivered thusfar in the current roster.
Stay tuned and read more at EW.