Look! Up In the sky! Is that a bird? A plane? A nuclear threat (a viable option seeing as the world feels like it’s on the brink of destruction)? No! It’s quite possibly the cutest superhero to hit the big screen yet. The charming Zachary Levi graces the cover of the Comic-Con issue of Entertainment Weekly dressed as Shazam!
In the magazine the multi-talented actor shares details about the upcoming DC Comics film, as well as a the excitement in taking on this dream role. Levi portrays protagonist Billy Batson, a 14-year old boy who can transform into a grown-up superhero simply by proclaiming “Shazam!” The last time I proclaimed an adult word my mother washed my mouth out with soap. Levi gave EW the film’s perfect tagline with “It’s Superman meets Big!” Sounds like a winner to me.
When asked what made Shazam! so different from the dozens of other spandex-clad superheroes sprawling on screens both big and small, Levi told the magazine
“It’s complete wish-fulfillment — if you scour all of DC and Marvel there are very few characters that are actually stoked to be a superhero. They’re not brooding, they’re not put out, like ‘Oh dammit, I gotta save the world again!’ Billy Batson is like Peter Parker, they’re thrilled to have these powers and can’t wait to try them out.”
A trailer is hoped to be released this upcoming weekend at Comic Con. For now all we know is that Shazam! is expected to hit theaters April 5, 2019.