'Shazam!' Behind-The-Scenes Video Shows How Billy's Origin Came to Life
The first trailer for Shazam! is a bonafide hit, and the film's director is helping showcase how [...]
The first trailer for Shazam! is a bonafide hit, and the film's director is helping showcase how the film comes together.
David F. Sandberg, who is directing the DC Films venture, recently shared a behind-the-scenes video of how one small scene - Billy Batson (Asher Angel) getting into a car - came to life on set. You can check it out below.
For some fans, the way that Billy's origin story was represented in the trailer will surely be a pleasant surprise, as it's clear the film is borrowing from Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's New 52 run on the character.
For the uninitiated, Johns and Gary Frank essentially reintroduced Billy Batson/Shazam! within the New 52 continuity, in a backup story that appeared in several issues of Justice League. The miniseries painted Billy as a somewhat-troubled child, whose life within a new foster family, is turned upside down when he is given his powers. The run also gave Billy a pretty formidable foe to fight, as Dr. Sivana unlocked the tomb of Black Adam, and began to track down the Seven Deadly Sins.
It's safe to assume that the film won't be a completely direct adaptation of Johns' Shazam! miniseries. While the film will see Billy face off against Sivana (played by Mark Strong), and could include the Seven Deadly Sins, previous reports have seemed to hint that Black Adam (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) wouldn't have a role.
And as Sandberg went on to confirm last December, one major facet of the New 52 run won't transfer over to the movie -- Billy being "a huge dickhead." So while it sounds like the film will definitely be borrowing elements from Johns' run, fans will have to wait and see exactly what that entails.
Shazam! is directed by David F. Sandberg and 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)."
What do you think of this behind-the-scenes look at Shazam!? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
Shazam! will be released on April 5th, 2019.
