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‘Shazam!’ Director Shares Trailer Mashup with Disney’s ‘Dumbo’

Shazam! director David F. Sandberg shared a mashup blending his superhero comedy with Disney’s […]

Shazam! director David F. Sandberg shared a mashup blending his superhero comedy with Disney’s live-action Dumbo re-imagining.

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I just couldn’t resist…

A post shared by David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) on

Both films see their protagonists struggle to learn to fly before soaring to new heights with their respective abilities, which for teenaged foster kid Billy Batson (Asher Angel) are granted by an ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou).

When Billy yells the wizard’s name — “Shazam!” — he transforms into an adult superhero of the same name (Zachary Levi), who wields immense strength, electric discharge powers, and the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Levi has long dubbed the film a mix between 1988 Tom Hanks comedy Big and Superman, giving the shared DC Extended Universe a fresh-faced superhero through the eyes of a child.

“I can’t tell you much, as you can probably imagine, but what I can say is I am just out of my mind excited,” Levi previously told ET.

“I get to do my version of Big, basically. It’s like Superman meets Big, and that’s just so fun. I get to be a superhero that’s excited about being a superhero, and I think that’s refreshing. It’s not glum, and like, ‘Oh, I have to save the world again.’ So I think it’s all really gravy.”

Though Shazam won’t be crossing paths with Disney’s big-eared elephant, Sandberg’s film is firmly entrenched within the universe home to Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and the Justice League.

“Our movie takes place very squarely in the DC Universe. In fact, I would argue that we’re kind of the most self-aware of it because the movies that we all watch — I mean, Aquaman and Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman — they’re all basically documentaries in their world,” Levi added.

“These things, these are all real events that have happened. Batman and Superman fighting, Superman saving all of Metropolis, whilst simultaneously destroying the entire city — that all really happened.”

Disney releases the Tim Burton-directed Dumbo March 29. Warner Bros. releases Shazam! April 5.

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