'Shazam' Director Compares Costume to Batman and Superman

Shazam! director David F. Sandberg says there is no more padding in Zachary Levi's super hero costume than that of Batman.

The first look at the costume was revealed on Wednesday, offering up a glimpse of Billy Batson in super hero form boasting some impressive muscle outlines, especially around his biceps and chest. While the suit is admittedly made to beef up the appearance, Sandberg is coming out in its defense.

"I don't know if [the suit is] crazy big if you look at some of the others — look at Batman," Sandberg told EW. In fact, he had plenty of inspiration from Batman and other DC characters. "I wanted to keep the shorter cape as a throwback to the original because that's something that sets him apart from Superman or Batman. It makes him feel a bit more Golden Age superhero, which is the vibe I'm going for."

Levi did his fair share of bulking up for the Shazam! part. He has posted several photos on Instagram to document his progress, as well as telling ComicBook.com he was eating around 4,000 calories per day at the time of Justice League's premiere.

It’s like the old saying goes, “Hard work, over time, plus chicken & broccoli, minus carbs, divided by whey protein, in which “X” represents the amount of supplements and “Y” represents the sentiment of “WHY the hell am I doing this to myself?!”, multiplied by shameless selfies whilst staring into nowhere...carryyy theee ooone...equals results.” 📸 by @ericblackmon / “Tan” by Hefe Filter / Body by Jake. 👏💃

A post shared by Zachary Levi (@zacharylevi) on Apr 13, 2018 at 5:08am PDT

While the Shazam! movie isn't going to arrive until next spring, reports have suggested that the first footage from the film will be arriving next week, during WB's Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con. An Aquaman trailer has already been confirmed for the event, but glimpses at Shazam! and Wonder Woman 1984 are also likely.

Shazam! is set to hit theaters on April 5, 2019. DC's other two movies currently on the way are Aquaman, which arrives on December 21, and Wonder Woman 1984, which is scheduled to debut on November 1, 2019.