Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have revealed the firstShazam!trailer for the upcoming DC Extended Universe film. Directed byDavid F. Sandberg(Annabelle: Creation), the film tells the story of a 14-year-old boy named Billy who, when he shouts the word “SHAZAM!”, can turn into an adult superhero.Asher Angelplays the boy, whileChuckstarZachary Leviplays the adult Shazam.ItbreakoutJack Dylan Grazerplays Billy’s best friend Freddy Freeman. The film is firmly set in the DCEU, but stands in contrast toBatman v SupermanandMan of Steelwith a fun and “family-centric” tone.
This actually looks fun! And not in aJustice League"look how much fun we’re all having!" way. Actual, genuine comic book-y delightfulness all around.
The padded silliness of the Shazam suit makes a ton more sense in context, too. I love the way Levi is playing a kid reacting to a beefed-up superhero’s body, like a madcap mash-up ofBigandMarvel’s Luke Cage.The real highlight, though, is Levi’s chemistry with Grazer, which I have a feeling will be the heart and soul of this movie. After watching Superman destroy entire cities and Batman brand criminals with a death-sentence mark, it is so gosh dang refreshing to watch a superhero enjoy having powers while his best friend records it for Youtube. Being able to fly should befun.
I do feel a little likeDjimon Hounsou’s Wizard andMark Strong’s Dr. Thaddeus Sivana got a bit short-changed in the footage—we don’t even see Hounsou’s face!—but even that’s okay. The important thing here was setting up the tone and the main duo—and it’s great we saw just as much of teenage Billy Batson as we did Shazam—with plenty of time before the release date to introduce supporting characters and the baddies.
Because this is the DCEU I can’t commit to a full thumbs up—IlovedtheSuicide Squadtrailer, and the hurt there still runs deep—but dang, I am tentatively hyped.
Check out theShazam!trailer below. Scripted byHenry Gayden(Earth to Echo) from a story by Gayden andDarren Lemke(Goosebumps), film also starsGrace Fulton,Faithe Herman,Ian Chen,Jovan Armand,Cooper Andrews, andMarta Milans.Shazam!opens in theaters on April 5th.
Here’s the official synopsis forShazam!:
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 (Strong).
