Warner Bros. has ‘more faith’ in franchise after ‘untested’ superhero success

Shazam thinks he can fly, and lead actor Zachary Levi believes more than just in the franchise potential of DC’s lesser-known superhero.

The “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” actor revealed to Entertainment Tonight that the sequel film, in theaters December 21, has “longer time and more budget” than its 2019 predecessor, in part because “untested” waters of focusing on a teenager who gains superpowers and transforms into an adult, with no spider bite or Krypton origin story included.

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“The first one was kind of untested. Not many people knew who Shazam was,” Levi explained. “More people knew about Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, all that stuff. We were that kind of little engine that could, and everyone was wondering how the movie was going to turn out. Then we did pretty well, so now there’s more confidence in us as a franchise.

The actor continued, “Warner Bros. was so supportive of me. They gave us more money, more time, newer, cooler costumes. It was awesome.”

And filming the sequel, starring franchise newcomers Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler, felt like coming home.

“We were all able to jump back into those characters that we were already creating on the first one,” Levi added. “Now we can revisit them and go deeper with them, and more nuanced with them, and continue to build relationships between the different characters, it’s all fun.”

Levi summed up during San Diego Comic Con in 2022, “It feels like a lot of hard work has paid off just to be able to just go and stand there on stage and tell everyone you love them and you Enjoy them. It’s drugs. It’s the coolest thing.

Co-star Liu called joining the DC Universe the “most exciting thing” of her career that tapped into her own youth.

“It’s like the little girl in me is coming out,” Liu said. “I mean, you grew up reading the comics, and in those days they didn’t have movies like this, you know? Seeing it on TV and then having your own life be part of something like that really is the icing on the cake. It’s the best of the best.”

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And representing his Asian-American descent added to the magic of “Shazam!”

“I think the world of superheroes is about belonging and being part of it,” Liu continued. “Understanding that everyone is now included, it makes this world so much bigger. So I think diversity matters, and people are recognizing that more and more.

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