Another photo from the set of the Shazam movie has been leaked online, giving hints about the plot and also providing us some cameo by other superheroes, albeit in the form of toys.
Set to be the seventh movie in the DC Extended Universe, Shazam will focus on Billy Batson, a teenage boy (played by Asher Angel) who is given the power to transform into a superpowered adult (played by Zachary Levi) when he says the magical word “Shazam!” It recently began production and is set for release on April 5, 2019.
While no official photos of the set have been issued, last week saw a leak featuring Levi in his superhero outfit, albeit only from behind. Now two more can be found on the Twitter account PotbellyGamers, and features a set that is designed to look like a toy store, both from the outside (where we can see it’s called Treasure Time Toys) and within. This matches with the first photo, which seemed to be set in some kind of mall.
“A huge action sequence takes place in this built toy shop for,” PotbellyGamers said. “Inside looked like the old WB store:) The costume looks so F’n awesome in action!”
They are right about the inside of the store; the photo of the inside shows an entire wall of DC Comics character plushies, most notably Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn. This is probably meant as just a small Easter egg for the fans (plus subliminal advertisement, natch), and given how superhero movies go, will probably only be visible for a few seconds in the film before somebody gets smashed against them.
Though if we do want to over-analyze this gag, Harley Quinn’s inclusion seems a bit odd; while she is often played as an anti-hero in various adaptations, in the DCEU she is probably only known to the public as a psychopath who helped the Joker murder Robin. Sure, she helped save the world in Suicide Squad, but that was a secret mission, so what parent would buy her plushie for their kid?
It’s also worth noting that Harley is wearing her famous harlequin outfit, which she only wears briefly in the film; likewise, the superheroes are dressed in traditional costumes that do not match the DCEU, with Superman having red briefs and some yellow on Batman’s chest insignia.
