Shazam! Fury of the Gods Is Better Than the Original Says Zachary Levi

3 years ago

Zachary Levi has stepped up to add a lot of hype to Shazam 2. The sequel, officially titled Shazam! Fury of the Gods, has finished filming and is currently in post-production. Unfortunately, we aren’t going to see it for some time as Warner Bros. has had to push back its theatrical slate several times due to the pandemic. But Levi feels the sequel will be worth the wait. And if he had his way, it would be here a lot sooner.

Levi recently spoke with Collider about the DC Comics adaptation. While he couldn’t go into specifics, the actor was not shy about hyping up the sequel. Levi will once again portray the titular hero, with Asher Angel playing the younger Billy Batson. As far as Levi tells it, the follow-up is better on just about every level.

Here’s what Levi had to say about it.

“I will say that I genuinely — and this is not just lip service — I’m really proud of the first one, I think we made a really, really good movie. I think the second one is better… we had more time, we had more budget. We had, essentially, the entire cast returning, and we all knew our characters a little bit more; we could kind of sit into them a little bit more. Henry Gayden, who wrote the first script, wrote the second, and he did a fantastic job doing so. Everything just clicked even a little bit more and a little bit more. And also the kids have grown up a little bit more, so even the sensibilities of them become even slightly more mature which brings it closer to my or other people’s adult minds, so there’s even more connection there, I think. The action’s great, the comedy’s great, the relationships are great. The bad guys, Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, are fantastic.”

Those are indeed some bold statements. To round out his points, Levi added, “I’m very proud of it. I want it to come out sooner than June of 2023.” Whether or not it actually would/could arrive sooner is fully in the hands of the studio.

David F. Sandberg returns to the director’s chair for the sequel. Sandberg helmed the first movie which was critically beloved and earned $365 million at the global box office. Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Faithe Herman, Meagan Good, Grace Fulton, Michelle Borth, Ian Chen, Ross Butler, Jovan Armand, D.J. Cotrona, Marta Milans, and Cooper Andrews also star alongside Zachary Levi. As far as newcomers go, Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”) is also joining the villains, played by Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren.