‘Shazam’ Trailer: The DC Universe Goes ‘Big’

Wonder Woman has a few moments of humor, Justice League has a handful of jokes, and Aquaman‘s drumming octopus showed a sense of self-awareness, but Shazam! looks to be the DC movie that relies on comedy the most. The good news? That approach seems to be the correct one for the story of a young boy who’s given the power to turn into a superhero when he utters a special word. Check out the latest Shazam trailer below.

Shazam Trailer

The DCEU hasn’t exactly been a barrel of laughs thus far (remember when Superman snapped Zod’s neck?), but Shazam! isn’t too interested in brooding – it’s here to lighten the mood, and Zachary Levi looks like he’s having the time of his life living a teenaged dream.

Asher Angel stars as Billy Batson, a young orphan who unwittingly proves himself as a pure soul to a mystical wizard (Djimon Hounsou), who transports Billy to a place called the Rock of Eternity and grants him superpowers. All Billy has to do is say the word “Shazam!”, and he turns into a full-fledged superhero – which is good news, since the villainous Doctor Sivana (Mark Strong) seems to be have some evil plan up his sleeve.

Along for the ride is Billy’s foster brother and pal Freddy Freeman (It: Chapter One actor Jack Dylan Grazer), a kid who’s obsessed with superheroes and helps Shazam unlock his powers. Think Big, but with more capes.

David F. Sandberg (Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation) directed from a screenplay by Henry Gayden, and Peter Safran (Aquaman, The Conjuring) is the movie’s producer. When we spoke with Safran last month, he explained that this movie ends with Billy Batson still having a few super powers left to learn: “When the Wizard endows on him this ability to say ‘Shazam’ and become a superhero, there’s no manual that comes with it. So it really is a process for him to learn what is real potential is. He comes to learn somewhat his areas of potential, but not the whole thing by any means.”

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).

Shazam! hits theaters on April 5, 2019.

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