During San Diego Comic-Con, DC released the first trailer for a new superhero movie, Shazam, which stars Zachary Levi and it’s just a little to what we’ve previously seen!
At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con 2018 DC panel, the studio’s three forthcoming films were heavily featured. Among them was SHAZAM!, in which the protagonist, orphan Billy Batson (Asher Angel), is given the magical ability to transform into an adult superhero by uttering the word ‘shazam’. A bit ridiculous? Perhaps, but it’s very possible that this kind of levity is exactly what the DC movie franchise—newly named ‘Worlds of DC’ needs, given the lacklustre reception its previous films (Wonder Woman being a particular exception) have received.
The three-minute long teaser trailer for Shazam was shown at the panel, and it not only looked like a movie that was able to laugh at itself, but it also showed Zachary Levi, the adult part of the Shazam superhero, looking like he was having a great deal of fun in the role.
Firstly, there’s Zachary Levi. In case you didn’t know, Zachary Levi is one of Hollywood’s more underrated actors. The star of cult NBC show Chuck (alongside Yvonne Strahovski who was just nominated for an Emmy for her performance as Serena Joy in The Handmaid’s Tale), Levi’s adorable geekiness inspired a fanbase which so adored the show that a fan-led campaign saved the show from possible cancellation (meaning that the show joins the illustrious ranks of several other programs similarly beloved, among them Star Trek, Friday Night Lights, and Brooklyn Nine Nine). Certainly, Levi stole my heart in Chuck, and I thoroughly recommend this be the one program you watch this year, if you’re hunting around for a new show to watch.
Levi also is the voice of Flynn Rider (aka Eugene Fitzherbert) in Tangled, and he did a terrific job of surprising everybody with a very decent singing voice. Moreover, Levi has made a bit of a name for himself as all-around nice guy, as co-founder of The Nerd HQ, and general lovable geek. For the role of Shazam, he hit the gym pretty hard, and well…the results speak for themselves.
Then there’s the easter eggs, which arguably contribute to fan appreciation of a movie, as they reward dedication and knowledge with the inclusion of metatextual material (it’s one elements people love watching shows like Arrested Development, or anything which Michael Schur touches such as The Good Place). In a mere three minutes, the Shazam trailer packed in several easter eggs, much to the delight of fans, which included:
- “It gets real Game of Thrones around here”. Given that Jason Mamoa who plays Aquaman rose to prominence in his performance of Khal Drogo, it seems like more than a mere coincidence that GoT got a mention.
- Freddy, Billy’s foster brother and aficionado of all things superhero (played by Jack Dylan Grazer), is the source of most of the easter eggs. At various points in the trailer, he is wearing a Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, and Aquaman t-shirt. He also has a batarang (yes, apparently that is its real name), and a bullet which bounced off Superman (from Batman vs Superman), which has a ‘certificate of authentication’.
- When Billy is doing a flight test, he also adopts the Superman flying pose (although he falls back to the ground).
- In the convenience store, there are several products which are specific to the DC universe which populate the shelves.
Director David F. Sandberg, Zachary Levi, Billy Batson, and Jack Dyan Grazer made up the panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, and Levi spoke about becoming a hero. “This is complete wish fulfillment. This is 14 year old me that got to put on a cape and fly,” Levi told the audience. “This whole movie is about wish fulfillment.” It was also said that Levi was like the “biggest kid on set” and Samberg said that’s the quality that won Levi the role. More than 100 people auditioned for the role of Shazam, but ultimately Levi’s enthusiasm won him the role.
Basically, the trailer suggests a really high attention to detail, meaning that the film is not simply made to cash in on the superhero brand, but was made by people who have a true appreciation for the source material and comic book genre.
SYNOPSIS: 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! is directed by Swedish filmmaker David F. Sandberg, director of the horror films Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation previously. The screenplay is written by Henry Gayden, from a story by Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke. Based on the DC Comics character created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. Warner Bros will release DC’s Shazam!
SHAZAM! is scheduled to hit theatres in April 2019.
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