Shazam! Set Photos Hint At Gotham City Connection

Filming is currently underway on the latest DC movie – David F. Sandberg’s Shazam!, starring Asher Angel as teenager Billy Batson who turns into a musclebound superhero (Zachary Levi) when he says the magic word of the title. With production having begun in Toronto, some new set photos have now surfaced which give us a taste of the movie’s setting along with a possible connection to an iconic DC location.

Twitter account Potbelly Gamers has shared the below images of a street in Toronto which is doubling up as Philadelphia, the setting for Shazam! This will be a bit of a disappointment to comic book fans, as Billy Batson usually hails from Fawcett City in the source material. However, the photos reveal that the film won’t shy away from the wider DC continuity completely, as the set dressing references Batman’s hometown of Gotham City.

While most of these shots are fairly uninteresting, you’ll notice that one of them, featuring an old boxing poster, has an advert for Ace Chemicals, the factory that holds a key place in DC lore. For those who don’t know, it’s where the Joker falls into the vat of chemicals that bleaches his hair and skin.

Of course, Ace Chemicals has previously been visited in the DCEU in Suicide Squad and was referenced in both Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, so it’s not too surprising to see it show up here. Still, it is a fun easter egg and should get fans excited.

It’s important to note that this isn’t the first time that Batman’s been connected with Shazam! David F. Sandberg previously shared a clip from an animated movie that saw the Dark Knight encountering the hero formally known as Captain Marvel – which suggests that Ben Affleck’s Caped Crusader might show up in the pic. Then again, with all those rumors of Affleck possibly on his way out of the DCEU, maybe this nod to Ace Chemicals is simply just an easter egg and not a sign of things to come.

Either way, we should find out soon enough, as production on Shazam! is scheduled to continue until May before the film conjures its way onto cinemas on April 5th, 2019.