A new series of photos, taken at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, offer the best view yet of Zachary Levi's costume from the upcoming movie Shazam! While an earlier photo from the movie captured Levi wearing the uniform of the popular superhero, the new photo set shows the super-suit from several different angles. By all appearances, the costume designers for the film have brought the classic costume to life perfectly.
Scheduled for release in the spring of 2019, Shazam! will tell the story of Billy Batson - a good-hearted orphan who is granted phenomenal magical powers after a chance encounter with an ancient wizard. Whenever Billy exclaims, "Shazam!" (an anagram of various ancient deities and legendary heroes who lend their powers to worthy mortals), he is transformed into a nigh-invulnerable flying superhero, capable of going toe-to-toe with Superman. The movie's story is reportedly based on the New 52 revamp of the character, written by former DC Films co-chief Geoff Johns and stars Levi as the titular hero. The movie will also star Asher Angel as Billy Batson and Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana - Shazam's arch-enemy from the comics, who is a mad scientist that seeks revenge on the world that mocked his genius.
Related: New Shazam! Photo Lights Up Zachary Levi's Lightning Bolt
The up-close photos of Levi's costume were taken by Screen Rant's Sarah Moran. The photos also offer a glimpse at Billy Batson's street clothes, which are in the protective case next to the classic Shazam suit.
While hopes are high for all of the upcoming films set in the unofficially titled DC Extended Universe, the expectations for Shazam! are particularly high. The character of Shazam is considered essentially lighthearted, being based around a classic boy's power fantasy. There are concerns that the sense of optimism and innocence that most comic fans consider part and parcel of the character might be lost in the effort to bring him to life in the DCEU. Conversely, those who enjoyed the more mature tone of Suicide Squad and Superman V. Batman: Dawn of Justice fear that a comics-accurate Shazam movie will not fit the general tone of the established cinematic universe to date.
These concerns seem silly and unjustified, especially since the character of Shazam! is quite literally a young boy experiencing life as an adult superhero. As Levi has said time and again, it's like Big, but with superheroes. Everything revealed about Shazam! so far also indicates a strong desire on the part of director David F. Sandberg to capture the spirit of the classic comics. And if the quality of the costumes reflects the level of care taken with every other aspect of Shazam! it seems certain to be one movie that will leave fans pleased.
More: Shazam: Every Update You Need to Know
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