Zachary Levi's 'Shazam!' costume revealed in first look photos
Zachary Levi's 'Shazam!' costume is everything DC fans have been waiting for! As the first official photo of the actor dressed up as the upcoming DC superhero was released, fans and followers couldn't contain their excitement because Entertainment Weekly's first look shows a 14-year-old Billy Batson's alter-ego, Shazam, grabbing a drink with his best friend and fellow orphan, Freddy Freeman.
As director David Sandberg has already discussed, the costume of the film has been redesigned based on different versions of the superhero as shown throughout the comics and in animated movies. “I wanted to keep the shorter cape as a throwback to the original because that’s something that sets him apart from Superman or Batman. It makes him feel a bit more Golden Age superhero, which is the vibe I’m going for.”
Gold gauntlets inspired by an animated feature version of the character are teamed with a glowing lightning bolt that appears on the superhero's chest. And it gets better with a hood that Samberg had decided to infuse from The New 52, which was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics.
The story of Shazam is pretty magical! All Billy Batson (Angel) has to do to channel his inner superhero is shout out the word "Shazam!" and off he goes, turning from a street smart 14-year-old foster kid to an adult superhero called Shazam - the powers having been granted to him by an ancient wizard. While it's still not clear what powers Shazam has exactly, he does set off on a journey to figure that out for himself - so when the time comes, he can fight the forces of evil, controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).
The cast includes Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Djimon Hounsou as The Wizard, and Mark Strong in the role of Super-Villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana. The film also stars Jack Dylan Grazer as Billy’s best friend, Freddy, part of the foster family that includes Mary, played by Grace Fulton; Darla, played by Faithe Herman; Eugene, played by Ian Chen; and Pedro, played by Jovan Armand (Hawaii Five-0). Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans play the roles of foster parents, Victor and Rosa Vasquez.
David F. Sandberg is directing the project for New Line Cinema, with Peter Safran producing. Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke are writing the script for Shazam!
Shazam was created all the way back in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker. The character had first appeared in Fawcett Comics’ Whiz Comics #2. All Billy Baston had to do was say, “Shazam,” and suddenly he would get transformed into the “world’s mightiest mortal” and acquire extraordinary powers from the gods.
Catch all of that action on April 5, 2019.