DC Appears to Have Figured Out Comedy in Debut Trailer for ‘Shazam!’ (VIDEO)

Ever since Christopher Nolan established a dark, gritty, realistic setting for the superhero movie, DC has had a nearly impossible time shaking that formula. However, thanks to the baby steps of Wonder Woman and the upcoming Aquaman, it appears as if the studio is ready to move into full-fledged comedy territory with next Spring's Shazam!

Lights Out and Annabelle Creation director David F. Sandberg steps behind the camera to bring the story of Captain Marvel, er, sorry, Shazam! to life. You see in the comics, the character's name is Captain Marvel, and "Shazam!" is merely the phrase young Billy Batson must utter to assume his superhero identity. Unfortunately, DC doesn't own the rights to the name Captain Marvel anymore, so they're apparently just calling the character Shazam now. Whatever, such is the world we live in.

Thankfully this trailer shows that the filmmakers see the inherent ridiculousness in the premise of a pre-teen being gifted with super powers, and plays it for all it's worth. If I'm being honest, this looks like it could potentially be the best film that DC has produced in the post-Nolan era.

Chuck's Zachary Levi steps into the title role, and he seems to be nailing the notion that he's a twelve-year-old boy trapped in a muscle man's body. It's also nice to see Mark Strong getting a DC do-over—following his turn as Sinestro in 2011's Green Lantern—this time as the villainous Doctor Sivana.

I truly and sincerely hope this film lives up to the hype that's going to ensue after this bang-up first trailer. So long as they don't get in their own way and attempt to rework the film several weeks before it's due in theaters—like they did with Suicide Squad and Justice League—they might actually have something here.

Shazam! is set to hit theaters on April 5, 2019, less than a month after Captain Marvel. I hope there's no confusion amongst you comic book purists out there.