The DCEU is going to delve into some lighthearted territory next year when David F. Sandberg's Shazam! hits the big screen, and many audiences are very excited to see what the silver screen version of Billy Batson can bring to the table. It has been decades since the character last appeared in live-action, but a newly-released photo from the production seems to promise something very powerful and faithful to the source material. Check out the photo released of Shazam actor Zachary Levi literally glowing as the titular hero, below!
This is not your father's DC Comics superhero movie. Gone is the dark atmosphere, and in its place is something that's all smiles and childhood wonder -- with a literal glow of power on his chest to hammer that idea home. In the photo, we see a fully transformed Shazam (Zachary Levi) hanging out with Freddy Freeman (IT actor Jack Dylan Grazer) as they explore the possibilities of the powers that Billy Batson (Asher Angel) recently acquired from a mysterious wizard (Djimon Hounsou).
This is one of our best glimpses at the full Shazam costume, and the fact that the symbol on the chest lights up already singles it out as something very distinct from heroes like Ben Affleck's Batman or Henry Cavill's Superman. Moreover, many fans have been clamoring to see a finalized version of the Shazam suit following some arguably unimpressive behind-the-scenes photos leaked during the film's production. Now that we have a proper look, it is far easier to see what the director actually wants the outfit to look like in the final cut of the movie.
Of course, for fans of the DC Comics source material, there's one other element of this photo that seems to jump out: how similar it is to the New 52 origins of Shazam. For the sake of comparison, check out a panel from Shazam's New 52 run, below!
From the snow, to the way Billy and Freddy Freeman play around with Billy's newfound superpowers, it's clear that David F. Sandberg and the folks at DC have pulled quite a bit of material from that particular source. That said, with no official trailer yet, we will have to wait and see what else the film will adapt from the comics.
David F. Sandberg's Shazam! will hit theaters next year on April 5, 2019! Until then, we still have plenty more DC content on the way, so make sure to keep an eye out for all of the updates that will come from San Diego Comic-Con this weekend and mark down your calendars for the December 21, 2018 release of James Wan's Aquaman later this year!
