We’ve seen him chugging cans of cola and slurping on a super-sized soda, but for Billy Batson’s latest close-up, we see Shazam! light the way – quite literally, we might add – much to the amusement of young Freddy Feeman (Jack Dylan of It fame).
Coming to us by way of Entertainment Weekly, this action shot perfectly encapsulates Shazam!‘s style and light-hearted tone, and is simply worlds away from the brooding action shots and hyper-stylized promos that prefaced Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad and even Justice League.
Couple this with the oncoming release of Aquaman, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that a major sea change is about to occur within the DC Extended Universe, one brought on by the appointment of Walter Hamada at the helm of DC Films. His strategy is simple: standalone films first, while also scaling back on the CG-laden action that smothered any semblance of character development in Justice League.
That lends Shazam! a shot at the big time, and we’re quietly confident that David F. Sandberg’s wondrous superhero pic has the power to bring some much-needed energy to Warner’s franchise.
Front and center for this one is a beefed-up Zachary Levi, who plays the adult Billy Batson soon after he’s gained limitless power from a mysterious old wizard (Djimon Hounsou), whose dying wish was to find a worthy successor. Enter the 14-year-old Billy (Asher Angel), who is gifted with an assortment of abilities weaned from a pantheon of gods – namely Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury. He need only say the word “SHAZAM!” to activate them.
Also starring Grace Fulton, Jack Dylan Grazer, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans and Mark Strong as the crooked Doctor Sivana, Shazam! lights up theaters on April 5th, 2019.
