A brand-new DC superhero is about to debut on the big screen when Asher Angel and Zachary Levi debut as Billy Batson and Shazam in David F. Sandberg's Shazam! next year. That said, while the film will introduce audiences to a new corner of the DCEU, it will also include a ton of Easter eggs that call back to previous films in the franchise. With that in mind, Sandberg has shared a new photo from the film, and it features some deep cuts to a number of previous DC movies dating all the way back to Man of Steel. Check it out, below!
If you have kept yourself up-to-date on all of the major happenings of the DCEU, then you should recognize what's happening in this picture. Specifically, it's a shot of Superman's home paper (The Daily Planet) complete with a front page that's full of nods to classic moments like the arrival of the Kryptonians, the DC Trinity's battle against Doomsday, and the events of Justice League that saw DC's biggest heroes face off against Steppenwolf in Russia.
All of this ties into the narrative of Shazam!, as the first trailer for David F. Sandberg's film clearly laid out for us to see, the movie is chock full of meta commentary on the superhero genre and deep cut references to heroes' like Ben Affleck's Batman and Henry Cavill's Superman. This movie will show us the adult superhero world through the eyes of a child in a way that no other film has ever done before, so it will be interesting to see what other DC Easter eggs pop up in the final cut of the movie when all is said and done.
Of course, we're still wondering exactly how all of these stories ended up on the same page of The Daily Planet. These headline stem from Man of Steel's Battle of Metropolis to the death of Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the resurrection of Superman in Justice League. These moments all took place at different times on the DCEU timeline, so it remains unclear why all of them exist on the same front page -- unless it's just a custom-made piece of art.
Shazam! focuses its story on young Billy Batson, an orphan granted magic powers by a mysterious wizard. By shouting the name "Shazam!" he can turn himself into the film's titular hero and battle evil in the form of a musclebound adult -- while retaining his teenage personality.
David F. Sandberg's Shazam! will hit theaters next year on April 5, 2019. Make sure to keep it here for more details related to the film as San Diego Comic-Con weekend draws to a close, and then make sure to watch out for James Wan's Aquaman when Arthur Curry's solo movie debuts on the big screen on December 21.
