Zachary Levi has unveiled his 'Shazam!' costume.

Zachary Levi's Instagram post

Zachary Levi's Instagram post

The 37-year-old actor - who is best known for his role in the comedy series 'Chuck' - has been cast as the titular superhero in the upcoming DC Extended Universe movie which focuses on Billy Batson, a boy who can transform into an adult superhero by uttering the magic word "Shazam!".

The name is an acronym of the ancient world gods and historical figures: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury.

Levi - who plays the adult hero to Asher Angel's youngster - has now logged in to his Instagram account to share an image of himself next to a promotional poster for the film which shows him in character.

Posting the pic ahead of the start of the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, he wrote: "This! This is what dreams are made of. Complete and total wish fulfillment, plus a beverage! All the squeees. #LicensingShowLasVegas #SHAZAMmovie #FirstLook? [sic]"

'Shazam!' is being directed by 'Annabelle: Creation' director David F. Sandberg and the cast also includes Grace Fulton, Jack Dylan Grazer and Mark Strong, who is playing the villain Doctor Sivana.

Strong previously told BANG Showbiz that he was very excited to get the chance to battle Shazam and do lots of stunts for the role.

He said: "I'm playing an evil b*****d called Doctor Sivana, they are always the best characters to play, the most fun. I've been training like a mad man, I think I'm going to be doing lots of flying around and firing electricity out of my hands."

The Shazam character was created by C.C. Beck and writer Bill Parker back in 1939 and first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 a year later, then known as Captain Marvel.

'Shazam!' is set for release in April 2019.