After the billion-dollar success of Aquaman, DC Comics is ready to celebrate. Kudos to them, they are not resting on their laurels and instead, looking ahead to their next release. Shazam! starring Zachary Levi has unveiled its latest TV spot and it is truly special. In fact, it is downright super.
We’ve loved every Shazam! trailer, but somehow this TV spot has got us all sorts of jazzed for the April 5 arriving flick, more so than anything that has been released prior. Frankly, they have packed more action, more humor and the true heart of what Shazam! looks to be in under a minute. It’s truly quite astounding.
Levi portrays a young teen boy who steps up to the plate and defends his fellow foster child friend/roommate and in the process catches the attention of the titular figure, who just happens to be ready to anoint a successor.
Another reason why this spot works so well is it also plays up the charm and screen presence of Levi, along with his fellow teen friend Jack Dylan Grazer. Levi is not a teen boy, clearly, don’t want you all to get confused. But in a storytelling move that recalls Big, when he shouts Shazam! he becomes the titular hero and an adult. Underneath all that superhero costume is the 13-year-old at heart, and no one can capture that better than Levi (who’s having quite a moment right now, what with his sensational supporting turn in The Marvelous Mrs. Mazel on Amazon).
Our villain is Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong—no stranger to superhero movies himself), and although we see him and Shazam! doing their battle dance in this new trailer, the teasers and this TV spot has more focused on the fun aspect. As Robert Downey Jr. said in that first Iron Man press con all those years ago, a superhero movie is only as good as its villain and amongst a slew of things that Shazam! has going for it, among the top has to be having the beyond brilliant acting chops of Strong.
Shazam! also stars Djimon Hounsou, Adam Brody, Michelle Borth, Asher Angel and is directed by David F. Sandberg.