'Shazam!' Director Reveals One of the First Storyboards for the Film

It's been almost a week since fans were charmed by the first trailer for Shazam!, and now we have an idea of how one of its best moments came together.

David F. Sandberg, who directed the upcoming DC Extended Universe venture, recently shared one of the earliest storyboards that he did on the film. The side-by-side comparison, which you can check out below, showcases how Billy Batson's (Asher Angel) transformation into Shazam! (Zachary Levi) went from an idea to a reality.

One of the first storyboards I did for Shazam! (Before we hired professionals storyboarders). I thought that this could be a moment they put in the trailer and now, 10 months later, it is indeed in the trailer. It’s not my favorite Billy to Shazam transformation in the film though. Maybe that one will be in a future trailer.

A post shared by David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) on Jul 26, 2018 at 10:15am PDT

Even with the film still in its early stages of post-production, the lightning effect of Billy's transformation has probably become one of the highlights of the Shazam! trailer. And the scene, which appears to be in a Christmas market, also showcases the film's Christmastime setting, which is set to have an interesting impact on the film's story.

"It feels like a Christmas movie to me." Sandberg told ComicBook.com at last week's San Diego Comic-Con. "It's about family, and finding your family, you have these orphans or foster kids... and Christmas is very much a family holiday, so it sort of ties it all together in that way."

"[The New 52 version of Shazam!] was a Christmas story in that issue, so I think that's gotta play something into it," Levi said.

"Yeah, and that was the idea Geoff Johns had for that as well, that it's a family holiday," added Sandberg.

Shazam! stars Zachary Levi (Shazam), Mark Strong (Dr. Thaddeus Sivana), Djimon Hounsou (The Wizard), Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy Freeman), Asher Angel (Billy Batson), Grace Fulton (Mary Bromfield), Ross Butler, Adam Brody, and Michelle Borth.

You can view the official synopsis for Shazam! below.

"We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson's (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he'll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong)."

Are you excited to see the first trailer for Shazam!? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Shazam! will be released on April 5th, 2019.