The Shazam! director offers fans a sneak peek at some of the movie merchandise that will hit stores before the film releases in April 2019. Shazam! made his first appearance as Captain Marvel in 1940 in Whiz Comics #2, a book published by Fawcett Comics. The superhero is a young boy, Billy Batson, who can become an adult superhero by saying the word "Shazam!"

In 1943, Fawcett stopped publishing Captain Marvel in comics after DC threatened legal action after claiming the character was a rip-off of Superman. In 1972, though, DC Comics brought back the entire Marvel family, although the company rebranded Captain Marvel as Shazam! in 2011 over a trademark dispute with Marvel Comics, who also has a character with the name of Captain Marvel. Shazam! has several live-action adaptations, including one on TV and one on film. In 2019, though, Shazam! comes to the DC Extended Universe with Zachary Levi and Asher Angel in the lead role. There are rumors that the entire Shazam! family will join him in the new movie, as well as speculation suggesting that multiple villains will put in an appearance.

Related: All 25 DC Movies & TV Shows Coming In 2019

Perhaps more importantly, though, is the film's tie-in merchandise. Shazam! director David F. Sandberg offered a sneak peek on Instagram of what kind of merchandise fans can expect. The images show a figure for Doctor Sivana (portrayed by Mark Strong in the movie), as well as a Shazam! figure. There is also a Shazam! hat and a kids' costume.

Although the DCEU got off to a shaky start with its earlier movies, it seems that the studio is now on a roll, thanks to the success of its solo films, notably Wonder Woman and Aquaman. The latter recently shattered box office records for DC and hit the $1 billion mark at the global box office. That makes it only the 37th film ever to gross that amount. Although Shazam! seems like a different kind of movie (and something targeted more towards kids), it's likely that it will see at least some level of that success, both at the box office and with merchandise. Ironically, rumors are suggesting that Shazam! will reference Aquaman in a small way after a teaser image released that presumably shows Shazam! trying to talk to fish.

With Shazam! being the kind of movie that has great kid appeal, this tie-in merchandise will probably fly off shelves. The film shows a lot of promise for the DCEU and should have a solid opening, giving the DC film universe another win.

More: When Will The New Shazam Trailer Release?

Source: David F. Sandberg