The stars of 'Shazam!' on bringing the 'Big'-meets-Superman comic book film to life
LOS ANGELES - Sitting down in a back room at a Dave & Buster's restaurant in Hollywood, actors Zachary Levi, Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer are amped-up - and not just because they've been playing Tomb Raider and Space Invaders arcade games for 20 minutes.
In recent days, the three have been watching early reviews of their new superhero film "Shazam!" trickle in. And the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the film for bringing much-needed levity to a DC Comics cinematic universe that has often been knocked for being overly dark and gloomy.
"Things are leaning very, very well," Levi says. "I mean, I've seen a couple of times now people saying it's the best superhero movie they've ever seen. Now I'm not saying I agree with that. But when people are saying that, you're like, 'Damn, maybe we did make something that special.'"
Equal parts wish-fulfillment comedy, heartstring-tugging family drama and high-stakes action movie, "Shazam!" tells the story of Billy Batson, a troubled 14-year-old foster kid who is granted otherworldly powers by a wizard and, upon saying the word "Shazam," can transform himself into a grown-up superhero. Think "Big" meets Superman, with a dash of
