‘Shazam!’ Star Zachary Levi What Makes Billy Batson’s Story Relatable

Okay, so a kid who screams out a name and transforms into a superhero may not be something that we all can relate to, at least not yet, but there are indeed aspects of Billy Batson’s story in Shazam! lore that make him relatable to viewers not unlike other comic book characters like Peter Parker or Bruce Wayne in his youth. And Zachary Levi explained as much during an interview with CBR during New York Comic-Con not too long ago. Becoming a superhero is something that, I would wager, most children dream of, and only now is that opportunity coming to screen.

You can’t just wake up, yell out “Shazam!” and hope that you’ll transform into a hero, nor can you hope to get out of bed and hope that you now have the X-gene in your genetic makeup. A child sees a wizard and becomes Earth’s Mightiest Mortal. Zachary Levi calls that a dream and he’s grateful to help bring that character to life when David F. Sandberg’s DC film hits theaters next year. But more than that, Levi believes that a film like Shazam! is needed in this day and age if just to see the story from Billy Batson’s point of view.

“We wanna see ourselves in them, we do see ourselves in them, but we also feel kind of inspired and more hopeful that there is good in the world that is vanquishing the evil in the world that is standing up for the everyman and going and trying to make a difference. But again also, it’s the wish fulfillment. Other characters, other superheroes you don’t’ necessarily, it’s difficult to see yourselves in those shoes. But Billy Batson is every kid, he’s every kid. Again, we’re 14 or younger, or adults still we’re still having that wouldn’t it be so cool if and Billy Batson is the manifestation of that. Wouldn’t it be so cool if you were transported to a magical dimension and a wizard says I pick you and boom, now you get to go fly?”

After all, flight was stated as one of the powers that anyone would want because, after all, heroes fly. And after seeing someone like Superman fly around in your world, wouldn’t you want that ability for yourself as well? And while there are a lot of comic-based films and television shows that tell darker stories, Shazam! could be a change of pace that gives moviegoers an opportunity to see the lighter side of things while Sandberg still tells a fairly serious tale.

What do you make of Zachary Levi’s words about what makes Billy Batson relatable? And what are your hopes and expectations for the Shazam! film? Let us know in the comments below.

Directed by David F. Sandberg, Shazam! stars Asher Angel, Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Faithe Herman, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans and Djimon Hounsou.

The film will hit theaters next year on April 5, 2019.

Source: CBR