Presto chango, horror maestro David F. Sandberg is going from scares to superheroes with DC’s Shazam!

The story of a boy who can say the word “Shazam!” and transform himself into the costumed Captain Marvel will be the next film to shoot in DC’s Extended Cinematic Universe.

Shazam! will be the seventh film in the DCEU following Man of Steel (2013); Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016); Suicide Squad (2016); Wonder Woman (2017); Justice League (2017) and Aquaman (2018).

Sandberg made a name for himself after he took his no-budget horror short Lights Out from YouTube to the big screen.

He then got a chance to direct Annabelle: Creation – the prequel to 2014’s Conjuring spinoff Annabelle.

From YouTube to DC in a short three-year period is a transformation of heroic proportions.

DC has several films in the pipeline – including Suicide Squad 2, The Flash, Wonder Woman 2 and The Batman – but Shazam! will be airborne first, following next year’s Aquaman – directed by Sandberg’s mentor (and Annabelle producer) James Wan.

But going from horror to heroes isn’t that big a stretch, Sandberg says.

“The big attraction for me with that character is the fact that every kid dreams of being Superman, right? I mean I certainly did, and (Billy Batson) is a kid that gets that chance,” Sandberg tells the Sun. “He gets to become the superhero. So it’ll be big with superpowers in a way. In terms of what people can expect, I think this will be one of the more fun or lighthearted movies so far in the DC universe. It certainly will be a departure.”

Expect Shazam! to hit theatres in 2019.

Annabelle: Creation opens Friday, Aug. 11.

Twitter: @markhdaniell

MDaniell@postmedia.com