The Shazam! movie's Superman cameo actor Ryan Handley dons the full suit in new behind-the-scenes images. After establishing what's come to be known as the DC Extended Universe with Man of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. largely focused on characters that had already been introduced in those movies - with the exception of David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Then David F. Sandberg's Shazam! introduced another new superhero to the DCEU in the form of young Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who transforms into the adult superhero Shazam (Zachary Levi).
Second only to Wonder Woman in the DCEU, Shazam! movie reviews were positive when the film hit theaters earlier this year. And though Shazam didn't appear in a previous DCEU entry before being spun off into his own solo adventure, Sandberg's movie was clearly set within the cinematic universe. Not only is Billy's foster brother Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) a fan of the Justice League, particularly Batman and Superman, but Shazam calls in a favor at the very end of the film for Superman to visit Freddy in school. Shazam!'s Superman cameo was widely rumored prior to the movie's official release, and reports indicated the DCEU's Superman actor Henry Cavill wouldn't be the one in the role. Now, see what the full Superman cameo actor looked like in costume for Shazam!
On Instagram, actor and stuntman Ryan Handley posted behind-the-scenes images of himself in the Superman costume from the set of Shazam! In the first image, Handley appears besides Levi, who's in costume as Shazam himself, while the second comes from Handley's Instagram stories and features a full-body shot of his Superman costume. See both images below.
The latter image appears to be from a costume test, while the former features Handley in full costume, hair and makeup for the Shazam! Superman cameo scene - with an over-exaggerated hair curl for full effect. Cavill was meant to film the Superman cameo in the DCEU film, but Sandberg confirmed the actor was "unavailable" when the shoot happened. It should be noted that prior to Shazam! hitting theaters, there were reports of Cavill exiting the DCEU as Superman, though they've since been refuted by Warner Bros. and the actor's team.
While DCEU fans who appreciated Cavill's performances as the Big Blue Boy Scout may have been disappointed it wasn't him in the Superman costume for Shazam!, Handley pulled off the short scene. Further, since the point of the scene is more the comedy in Freddy's reaction to meeting one of his heroes, Cavill actually doing the Superman cameo may have pulled focus away from Grazer. Still, Cavill making a cameo would've more effectively tied Shazam! to the rest of the DCEU - though some may think it's for the best that Shazam! remains slightly separate to the rest of the franchise. After all, Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad and Justice League all proved to be divisive entries. Keeping Shazam! and the film's Superman cameo slightly removed may be for the best - at least now fans can see what Handley looks like in the full costume.
Source: Ryan Handley/Instagram
