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Fake ‘Aquaman 2’ Trailer From ‘Shazam!’ Celebrates April Fools’ Day

By Shah Shahid
Published on: 10:21 PST, Apr 1, 2019

April 1 is a dangerous time to be online. The internet is ripe with jokes and pranks masquerading as news, especially given that we live in a time where the outrageous is very much possible. Ryan Reynolds is Pikachu in a live-action Pokemon movie, and Dora The Explorer also has a live-action adventure movie on the way. But it’s highly enjoyable when a major production studio like Warner Bros. plays with that expectation of tomfoolery. Warner Bros.’ latest video on their YouTube channel shows a fake Aquaman 2 trailer to market one of their upcoming releases, Shazam!

Shazam! sees the story of a young boy, Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who is given the powers of a wizard to transform into the grown-up superhero, Shazam (Zachary Levi). The movie is currently getting rave reviews prior to its wide release, as per Rolling Stone, and will be the first film to truly embrace the disconnected, and light-hearted nature of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).

As The Inquisitr previously reported, most of the marketing and trailers for Shazam! thus far have been very light-hearted and fun, focusing more on the kid-friendly aspects of the movie, than the previous DCEU agenda of being dark and gritty. It’s a strategy that seems to be paying off given the film’s positive reviews.

The fake trailer and its thumbnail on YouTube claim itself to be a trailer for Aquaman 2, however, Shazam crashes the CGI text and reveals that it’s a short trailer for Shazam! itself, releasing on Friday.

Aquaman was a major success for Warner Bros., with the company trying something new by allowing director James Wan to tell his story, not restricted by having to make any connections to other films. A gamble that has definitely paid off for the company, with Aquaman grossing over $1 billion worldwide, as per The Hollywood Reporter. So much so that Shazam! now looks to capitalize on that same idea of a self-contained superhero story.

While the sequel for Aquaman has already been confirmed for 2022, as per Variety, production has yet to begin. So a real trailer for the sequel was always a little far fetched. Promoting the trailer on April Fools’ Day is a brilliant move by WB and DC Comics to leverage the lighthearted nature of Shazam! And the fans are clearly loving it, as per social media reactions.

Shazam! releases everywhere on April 5. Aquaman 2 is currently set to release on December 16, 2022, with director Wan and the original cast all returning.

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