Shazam! trailer: Zachary Levi lives every kid’s dream of turning into a superhero at will

Warner Bros released the first trailer for their upcoming superhero film, Shazam!, at the ongoing San Diego Comic Con, an annual convention where Hollywood studios unveil their biggest upcoming movies before thousands of fans. Shazam! is the first film in the DC Extended Universe that feels like a pointed departure from the larger series, and a direct comment on the negative reception the films have received.

With the exception of Wonder Woman, and to an extent the Justice League film, the DC movies have been criticised for being excessively dark. Shazam! is a comedy - a body swap comedy, to be precise. It follows the adventures of Billy Batson, an orphan who one day is given magical powers by a mysterious wizard that transform him into a superhero. For the transformation, all he has to do is to yell Shazam!.

The trailer acknowledges the goofiness of this premise, and in lead star Zachary Levi, cements the film as the first outright comedy in the DC Universe. Sure, there are brief nods to Batman and Superman as being part of this world, but they’re restricted to newspaper cuttings and fandom, much like how Spider-Man: Homecoming treated the existence of the Avengers.

Billy is joined in his adventures by his friend Freddie, played by It actor Jack Dylan Grazer of It. Together, they’re super-excited by Billy’s powers, and go about conducting experiments on unsuspecting civilians.

The trailer spends a significant chunk of its time establishing the character, which is useful since this is his first on-screen depiction. It also establishes a unique tone - not raunchy like Deadpool, but innocent like Spider-Man. It’s set to the beats of Kendrick Lamar’s Humble, which makes it the second time the rapper’s music has been used in a trailer recently, after the Creed II trailer.

Shazam! is directed by David F Sandberg, who has only made horror movies before, and will be released in April, 2019.

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