• 6 years ago
First Shazam trailer is DC’s wacky answer to Justice League’s darkness

DC Comics “expanded movie universe” get flack from viewers who prefer a lighter touch to the buttoned-up serious of the Snyderverse and from fans who see any form of humor as an egregious overstep in a mega-franchise concerned with woes of superheroes. The clash between two warring beliefs over what DC films should be on a molecular level has led to animosity and conspiratorial thinking (“Zack Snyder never would have put jokes in his cut of Justice League!”), but the head honchos at Warner Bros. Pictures have their own feelings on the matter
Enter: Shazam! — DC’s first comedic superhero movie.

Star Zachary Levi (Chuck) was on hand at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con to premiere the first footage from the comic-book adaptation, which does for magical, flying, super-strengthed heroes what Big did for New York businessfolk of the 1980s. In the comics, a Wizard grants 14-year-old orphan Billy Baston the power to turn into the towering “Captain Marvel” by uttering one word: “Shazam!” To steer clear of confusion with Marvel Studios, the movie made the name of Billy’s alter ego synonymous with the call to action. That’s the major change. The debut trailer prepared audiences for something as silly and wild as the setup.

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