‘Impractical Jokers’ Trolls ‘Shazam!’ Star Zachary Levi

Impractical Jokers teamed with Zachary Levi, star of Warner Bros.' Shazam!, when the hit prank series returned to TruTV Thursday for the premiere of its eighth season. After an introduction from series stars Brian Quinn, Sal Vulcano, Joe Gatto, and James Murray, the set up sees Gatto acting as security during a Midtown Comics-set autograph session.

In Shazam! — the latest entry out of the shared DC Extended Universe, home to Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and the Justice League — Levi stars as the adult superhero form of streetwise 14-year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who transforms into an adult upon shouting the magic word, "Shazam," following an encounter with an ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou).

Though set firmly in the DCEU — Batson's new foster brother-slash-best friend Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Glazer) is a Superman and Batman fanboy well versed in superheroics — Shazam! is, like Wonder Woman and Aquaman before it, focused squarely on its starring superhero in his big screen debut.

"I think that is the goal," producer Peter Safran told ComicBook.com when asked if Shazam! moves away from the interconnected universe concept embraced by superhero team up Justice League.

"It is giving heroes their time to shine and not feeling like you have to shoehorn in some universal connection amongst them all. The studio's been incredibly supportive and DC's been supportive about saying, 'Take the time that you need to introduce these characters in the right way and tell the stories that audiences want to see with these characters.'"

Shazam! is now certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, where it boasts a 93% approval rating from critics, tying Wonder Woman. Before the arrivals of the Amazon warrior and the Big Red Cheese, the last DC film to earn more than a 90% approval was Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight in 2008, rated at 94%.

Also starring Grace Fulton, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Faithe Herman, and Mark Strong, the David F. Sandberg-directed Shazam! opens April 5.

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