Even though it appears that the DC Extended Universe will not be as dark going forward, it certainly doesn’t hurt to develop a few kid friendlier movies here and there. Yes, superheroes appeal to folks of all ages these days, but odds are that you embraced the genre at a very young age just as I did.
Having said that, I can’t help but feel there are few characters better suited to the task than Shazam. After all, he’s based upon that fantasy of a young boy saying a magic word to become a superhero. Heck, it’s no wonder that comics featuring the Big Red Cheese outsold those featuring Superman for a time back in the Golden Age. Of course, that was when the character was still known as “Captain Marvel,” but that name has since been shed as to avoid confusion with the Marvel Comics hero of the same name – even if Billy Batson came first.
So, you can imagine that I was pleased to read the following synopsis that matches my expectations:
We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).
Personally, I’d like to see the character stand on his own in his first cinematic outing, but it’s hard to ignore those recent rumors saying that Superman will show up in some capacity. Fanning the flames is the knowledge that one Dany Garcia is serving as an executive producer – and she just so happens to manage Henry Cavill.
And speaking of producers, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is also signed up in a similar capacity, causing us to wonder if Black Adam will be showing up in some fashion. Granted, it could just be because his solo flick is expected to follow this one, but it’s definitely something to think about.
As usual, we’ll keep you posted as more develops, but we’re pretty sure we have all the more incentive now to check out Shazam when it arrives in theaters on April 5, 2019.