Zachary Levi Teases 'Shazam 2' Has Started Filming
Potential big news for DC fans as Zachary Levi shares an interesting Instagram post related to his DC character, Shazam. Back in 2019, the first Shazam! directed by David F. Sandberg was released, and it turned out to be an absolute hit, much to many people's surprise. Levi played the titular hero aka Billy Batson, with Asher Angel playing the younger, non-super version of the character. Other cast members included Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, and Mark Strong as the film's main antagonist.
Up until the release of Shazam! Warner Bros. had been experiencing great difficulty with emulating the success of rival company Marvel Studios, so when they announced Shazam!, it was to set an example of the studio moving in a different direction. A lot of the negative feedback from DCEU films centered around lack of character and plot development, as well as the films having a much darker tone than their MCU counterparts. However, Shazam! certainly changed all that by being a complete breath of fresh air for fans.
The film performed moderately well, with a box office taking of around $366 million against a budget of between $80 - $100 million. It would also go on to receive generally positive reviews from critics, with most praising Levi's performance in particular, as well as its seemingly effortless ability to balance both heartfelt and comedy scenes throughout its 132 minute run time.
Based on the above, it was inevitable that a sequel wouldn't be far behind and it was announced in April 2019 that one would indeed be going ahead with Sandberg returning to direct and Henry Gayden returning to write.
The original release date for the film, as per New Line Cinema's announcement in December 2019, was April 1 2022. However, like a lot of film and TV productions, it was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, so the release was pushed back. It then got pushed back again to its current date, June 2, 2023.
Plot details are unknown at this stage, but we do know the title of the sequel will be Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Throughout the start of 2021, we have had updates on new cast members joining the project in the form of Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, both playing villain roles Hespera and Kalypso respectively. It was also confirmed by Variety that actress and YouTuber Rachel Zegler had joined the cast of the sequel playing a "mysterious role".
Despite setbacks and a release date still a long way off, fans got a bit of surprise when Zachary Levi seemingly confirmed filming or at least some aspect of production was beginning in Atlanta. Although it does seem early, it's worth remembering that a lot of the main cast from the first film are kids and they do tend to grow up quickly, as Levi himself has pointed out previously, so it's not too much of a stretch to believe filming may have indeed begun.
You can check out the Instagram post below.
As you can see, the post features a photo of the character in action figure form, with Levi commenting "Shazito. Has landed. In Hotlanta." Along with the hashtag "#shazam2electricboogaloo".
Do you think this is Levi's way of letting us know production has started? Or do you think he's just messing with fans?
Either way, it's likely this won't be the last we hear from him, and we will keep you updated on any new information as and when it appears.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is currently scheduled for release June 2, 2023.
Until next time!
Source(s): StuffSmart