Shazam! Fury of the Gods producer Peter Safran says the DCEU sequel starring Zachary Levi turns the action and humor of the first film “up to 11”.

Shazam! Fury of the gods Producer Peter Safran says the film is funnier and more action-packed than the original. The next DCEU project is a direct sequel to the 2019 one Shazam!, with director David F. Sandberg and star Zachary Levi returning. Shazam! Fury of the gods is currently slated for a theatrical release on June 2, 2023.

The first film established the backstory of teenage Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who gains the ability to transform into the superhero Shazam (Levi) by shouting the name of his alter-ego, who is actually the one of the wizard who named Billy his champion (Djimon Hounsou). By the climax, Billy’s foster siblings had also been given superhero forms, each gaining one of Shazam’s many powers, and they all work together to defeat the movie’s villains. Although Sandberg was once known as a horror director, Shazam! received critical and audience acclaim for its playful comedic timing, standing out as a bright spot in a DCEU lineup that had hitherto had only mixed success.

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Now, with a sequel on the way, Safran is taking a break from promotion Peacemaker share their thoughts on Shazam! Fury of the gods with Collider. After listing what he loved about the first movie, the producer praises this next installment for growing up with each of them. He also singles out some of the new high-profile cast members as reasons for excitement, and notes that the central kids being older means Sandberg & Co. can take more comedic risks:

… i loved the first one Shazam movie. I thought it was beautifully done. I thought David Sandberg nailed that tone so well. The needle’s eye was so small to get it right, but it really pulled it off. I feel like this second one has more emotion, more humor, but it also has more action, bigger sets, bigger baddies. I just feel like that’s all we loved about the first movie, but really went down to 11. So I love that. I think adding some of these new characters with Rachel Zegler and Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu are fantastic additions. I love that the kids are all a little older now, so we can have a little more fun in a more edgy way with them. Zach inhabits this character in such a beautiful way. So to have been able to do a second one is a thrill.

Although relatively little is known about the history of Shazam! Fury of the gods, acclaimed actors Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu are confirmed to play Hespera and Kalypso, respectively, two daughters of the titan Atlas who will serve as villains. Although West Side Story Star Rachel Zegler’s character has yet to be named, she revealed she will be playing another sister of the two goddesses, adding intrigue to her brief DC Fandome clip talking to Billy’s adoptive brother Freddy ( Jack Dylan Grazer). This same event confirmed that the franchise would take a milestone in terms of locations, at some point traveling to the realm of the gods.

fans of the first Shazam! will surely be happy to see one of the sequel’s producers so confident. Along with returning elements that have worked before, the additions of established actors like Mirren and Liu and up-and-coming talent like Zegler should have potential viewers eager to see their next look at Shazam! Fury of the gods. However, they should expect to wait a while, as the film is well ahead of a busy DC release schedule that should get more attention from Warner Bros.’ marketing department.

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Source: Collider

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