It may have taken seemingly forever to get the World’s Mightiest Mortal up on the big screen, but we’ll all be shuffling into theaters to see Shazam! before you know it. Though the average moviegoer may not think it, the titular character has been around since 1939. That’s right, he’s almost as old as Superman – and even outsold Big Blue for a time back in the Golden Age!
So, with opening weekend set to arrive next spring, it’s expected that major media coverage on the picture kick into high gear. As per usual, Entertainment Weekly is among the first to serve up some exclusives, with the official reveal of Zachary Levi in full costume hitting the web earlier today.
Though the next exhibit isn’t an official synopsis from the studio per se, the publication also got the inside line on the movie’s plot, which you can read right here:
“In the film, Billy (whose younger version is played by Disney Channel star Asher Angel) is assigned to a new foster home where he befriends comic book superfan Freddy. One day, Billy’s subway ride is interrupted by a mysterious Wizard (Djimon Hounsou) whose been searching for ages to find the right successor to inherit his powers. He reveals the teen’s been selected to gain an assortment of abilities, and all it takes is for Billy to say ‘SHAZAM!’”
Should you be familiar with the source material, then you’re aware of how that’s pretty much spot on. But if you’re not, then we highly recommend checking out the animated film Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam, which will take you through the basics in in short order.
As for the live action production that is Shazam! itself, that’ll open in theaters on April 5, 2019. Stay tuned for more as new info continues to surface.