In 2019, nearly 80 years after he debuted in Whiz Comics #2, Shazam (or as he was once known, Captain Marvel) finally made his theatrical debut, with Shazam! scoring a lot of positive critical reception and collecting approximately $366 million worldwide. It was announced just days after Shazam! hit theaters that New Line Cinema greenlit a sequel, although like so many projects, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated that Shazam! 2, a.k.a. Shazam! Fury of the Gods, be pushed back. But now the sequel has finally begun filming, so naturally star Zachary Levi celebrated the occasion.
Just like the first time around, Zachary Levi is back to play the adult superpowered from of Asher Angel’s Billy Batson in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. To commemorate the sequel kicking off principal photography, Levi went on Instagram to share just how much playing Shazam means to him, as well as show off some Shazam-themed sneakers:
Those red, yellow and white kicks customized by Geeky Blinders are indeed pretty awesome, but more importantly, Zachary Levi makes it clear how grateful he is not just to play Shazam, but where his career has taken him over the years. From leading the NBC series Chuck to voicing Flynn Rider in Tangled, Levi has been around the movie and TV blocks. I imagine his 16-year-old self would indeed be shocked by what the future holds in store for him… not to mention would rock those Shazam shoes.
Originally Shazam! Fury of the Gods was scheduled to come out on April 1, 2022, approximately two full years after its predecessor’s arrival. However, it was later pushed back to November 4, 2022, and now the plan is for it to hit theaters in summer 2023. It will be the fourteenth DCEU movie and follow a little under a year after the Dwayne Johnson-led Black Adam spinoff finally makes its way to the public.
The first Shazam! movie saw the eponymous protagonist battling Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, who became empowered by the Seven Deadly Sins. In that movie’s mid-credits scene, the incarcerated Sivana was visited by Mister Mind, who proposed they joined forces. While that seemed to indicate Sivana and Mind would be Shazam! 2’s main villains, Mark Strong recently revealed that he will not appear in the sequel. Instead, the Shazam Family will tangle with the daughters of Atlas, one of the entities from whom Billy Batson and his foster siblings gain their powers. Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu will appear as Hespera and Kalypso, respectively, and West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler has also reportedly been cast as one of Atlas’ daughters, although her character’s identity hasn’t been revealed yet.
Directed by David F. Sandberg and written by Henry Gayden, Shazam! Fury of the Gods casts its magic in theaters on June 2, 2023. And as always, stay locked on CinemaBlend for all the latest and greatest updates concerning upcoming DC Comics movies.
