In what’s set to be an exceptionally busy year for superhero movies, DC’s Shazam! faces a bit of an uphill battle standing out amidst some highly anticipated releases, but with a second major trailer soon to drop, Billy Batson’s big screen debut can hopefully make a case for itself as more than a fun but inessential little flick to fill the waiting period between Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame.
Frequent leaker Daniel Richtman reports that a preview for David F. Sandberg’s new feature will be coming our way on January 19th, and while we’ve yet to receive any official confirmation on the matter, this date would place the trailer two-and-a-half months prior to the film’s release, which sounds about right.
As it stands, the DCEU’s next entry has yet to generate a huge amount of hype around it, at least compared to its MCU competition, but a recent test screening allegedly yielded a strong reception, with one leaked account of the movie claiming it to be DC’s best offering since Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. Obviously, that’s just one anonymous source’s opinion, but given the ongoing success of Aquaman, it’s clear that the cinematic universe is in a much better place now than it was this time last year, and Warner Bros. is surely hoping to keep that momentum going.
While a follow-up for Arthur Curry is in the bag, it remains to be seen whether the world will be left clamoring for more Billy Batson – and for that matter, whether Sandberg would be game to helm another picture – but we’ll find out if audiences take to this unexplored part of the DCEU when Shazam! hits theaters on April 5th, 2019.
