Yesterday, Zachary Levi posted the first official image of himself in his Shazam costume for the upcoming DC film, and it was met with mixed reactions. Many of the doubters felt that the suit was too cheesy or cartoonish for a modern movie, but director David Sandberg is taking to Twitter to say, “That’s kind of the point.”
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The Shazam! movie is meant to be a much brighter, more fun DC affair, so Sandberg and his team wanted to go all in on the glamour and silliness of the character. Therefore, instead of making Levi’s suit all modernized and tech-heavy, the movie is taking things back to the good ol’ days of the Golden Age.
As promised, Sandberg responded to questions about the suit on Twitter, and he told fans that he aiming for a more classic, lighthearted look with this design.
“I wanted him to feel a bit like an old fashioned super hero from the Golden Age of comics,” Sandberg wrote. “Figured it would also make him stand out from the rest.”
I wanted him to feel a bit like an old fashioned super hero from the golden age of comics. Figured it would also make him stand out from the rest. https://t.co/3Joow3nBh6
— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) May 22, 2018
Shazam certainly stands out amongst the other DC super heroes that have appeared on the big screen over the last few years. He’s easily the brightest and most fun looking of the bunch.
Outside of the style itself, many fans also wanted to know about the lightning aspects of the suit. For one, why is the bolt on his chest so small?
“He needed to be able to bend his body,” Sandberg explained. “You find out that a lot of things that look cool are very impractical and it takes a couple of tries making these suits.”
He needed to be able to bend his body. You find out that a lot of things that look cool are very impractical and it takes a couple of tries making these suits. https://t.co/XPhzJERpsI
— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) May 22, 2018
As far as the actual lightning effects that will accompany Shazam, Sandberg said that all of that is being worked on in post production.
We’re still working on the look of all that since it’s a post effect. https://t.co/bG9WUbiEiZ
— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) May 22, 2018
What did you think of the new Shazam suit? Are you excited to see Levi take on the mantle when the movie comes out next year? Let us know by dropping a comment below!
Shazam! is set to hit theaters on April 5, 2019.
