The first trailer for DC Comics’ upcoming sequel, “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” dropped Thursday, and pitting Zachary Levi’s hero against Lucy Liu and others promises to be a showdown for the ages.
The sequel to New Line and DC Comics’ acclaimed 2019 film “Shazam!,” “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” will continue the story of teenage Billy Batson who, upon reciting the magic word “Shazam!” is struck by the Living Lightning of the gods and transformed into his adult superhero alter ego, Shazam.
Asher Angel returns as Billy, with Zachary Levi once again playing the kid-at-heart superhero alter ego Shazam, bestowed with the powers of six gods: the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury. While Shazam is a formidable champion, Billy Batson is still just a kid trying to navigate high school while learning how to use these powers.
The film also stars Helen Mirren as Hespera, Lucy Liu as the villainous Kalypso, and “West Side Story” breakout Rachel Zegler, who the wrap exclusively reported will appear in an as-yet-undisclosed role that will be key to the story.
David F. Sandberg is returning to direct the sequel from a screenplay by Henry Gayden. Peter Safran is producing through The Safran Company. “Shazam” is based on the DC character created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck.
“Shazam!” was the No. 1 film worldwide on its opening weekend in 2019, going on earn over $366 million worldwide on a relatively modest budget for a superhero film. The film, which also starred Jack Dylan Grazer, Mark Strong and Djimon Hounsou, earned an “A” CinemaScore with audiences and a stellar 90% certified fresh Rotten Tomatoes score.
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” will be released on March 17.