Even though it appears that the DC Extended Universe will not be as dark going forward, it certainly doesn’t hurt to develop a few kid friendlier movies here and there. Yes, superheroes appeal to folks of all ages these days, but odds are that you embraced the genre at a very young age just as I did.
Having said that, I can’t help but feel there are few characters better suited to the task than Shazam. After all, he’s based upon the fantasy of a young boy saying a magic word to become a superhero. Heck, it’s no wonder that comics featuring the Big Red Cheese outsold those featuring Superman for a time back in the Golden Age. Of course, that was when the character was still known as “Captain Marvel,” but that name has since been shed as to avoid confusion with the Marvel Comics hero of the same name – even if Billy Batson came first.
But I digress. At this point, with the film now in production, fans are getting eager to see an official photo of Zachary Levi all suited up as the titular hero. And though there’s still no word on when exactly we might get that, director David F. Sandberg has confirmed that the studio’s already decided when they’ll be giving us our first look at the costume, and it’s right around the corner.
WB have already decided yes. Actually if someone had managed to snap a shot of the suit last week when we were shooting outside they would have released an official pic right away. Since we got away with it they want to do more of an official thing. And it’s right around the corner…
Though fan art has provided at least some idea of what Levi will look like in the role, it’ll be nice to finally get something from Warner Bros. After all, a lot of eyes are on Shazam! right now with many curious as to how it’ll turn out. Said to be a lighter and more humorous affair for the DC Extended Universe, the pic will probably be a bit of a change of pace for the franchise, but it also might be just what the studio needs right now after the underwhelming Justice League.
Dubbed a superpowered version of Big – albeit with ancient wizards and, potentially, Diana Prince and Black Adam instead of Tom Hanks – Shazam! is expected to conjure its way into theaters on April 5th, 2019 and along with Levi, it’ll star Mark Strong and Asher Angel, among others.