Zachary Levi Compares 'Shazam!' to 'The Goonies'

The cast and crew of Shazam! have often compared the upcoming DC Comics movie to being a cross between Superman and the Tom Hanks classic Big, but star Zachary Levi made another comparison.

While speaking about Shazam! during his Q&A at New York Comic Con, Levi said the movie has a lot in common with the Richard Donner and Steven King classic The Goonies.

"It's a lot of wish fulfilment and a lot of fun and a lot of heart and a lot of levity. I don't know if anyone else felt this way, but when I was watching it [the trailer]… it delighted me," Levi said. "I felt joy. I felt the way that I felt when I was a kid when I was watching The Goonies. There was something very adventure-y about it."

Levi spoke about how the film will have a different tone than what we've seen in films like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad.

"With every project, you have to be true to that project, and I think what was really fortunate for us with Shazam! was it was really built into the story," Levi said. "You can't make a movie about a 14-year-old that has the magic power to turn into a superhero, and make that too dower and glum. There's a lot of fun and levity just built into it. So we didn't really have to try. It just naturally came across."

While the trailer received a tremendous response from fans, later images have caused some commotion with the character's costume, causing Shazam! director David F. Sandberg to comment publicly on making tweaks and changes. Now Levi commented on his superhero costume, praising the movie's approach.

"As far as the suit is concerned and the strange hubbub that happened around that, it's difficult to have an image. It's one snapshot. There's very little information. So we anticipated that there would be people who would be split on that. Then I think the trailer answered a lot of questions and gave a much more rounded idea of what the tone was, of what the movie was. Ultimately my character is the manifestation of what a 14-year-olds idea of a superhero is. So that's why I look so dope!"

Fans will get to see Shazam! (and his costume) in action when the movie premieres in theaters on April 5, 2019.

[h/t Fandom]