Given that the first (surprisingly fun) Shazam movie came out in April of 2019, it’s pretty understandable we’ve seen almost nothing from the upcoming sequel, Fury of the Gods. Although the first film’s success meant the sequel script was started almost immediately, the movie was only supposed to start production in the middle of 2020, which didn’t happen for obvious reasons. And given that filming only wrapped for the sequel this past August—a mere month and a half ago—honestly, it’s pretty nice to even get to see this behind-the-scenes video out of DC’s Fandome event today, especially since the movie is looking pretty damn good.
If you’ll recall, the world of Shazam is chock-a-block with gods, given that the hero’s name comes from having 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 (although, obviously, Solomon’s not a god, he’s just a really wise guy). It simply stands to reason that some of the other gods would be furious at something or other. Specifically, Hespera (Dame Helen Mirren, whose later career choices are a never-ending source of delight to me), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and an unknown third (knowingly played by Rachel Zegler) play three daughters of Atlas, the Titan who eternally holds up the world, so maybe that’s what the sisters are furious about. (As a Greek mythology buff, I am compelled to give you my hunch about who Zegler’s playing—another of Atlas’ daughters named Dione, although she might not be a rain-making water-nymph like her classic namesake.)
In addition, Fury of the Gods is adding mythological creatures and monsters to the mix, as well as a trip to the Realm of the Gods, which certainly looks like Olympus in the concept art seen in the behind-the-scenes video—although, again, if Solomon shows up in the movie “Realm” certainly feels more inclusive.
Happily, just about everybody from the original Shazam movie returned for the sequel; the extended Batson family includes Asher Ashmore as Billy, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Jovan Armand as Pedro Peña, and Grace Fulton as Mary Bromfield, along with their Shazam-ed counterparts (in the same order!) Zachary Levi, Adam Brody, Meagan Good, Ross Butler, D.J. Cortona, and Grace Fulton (doing double-duty as her superheroic self). Likewise, Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews return as their foster parents Rosa and Victor Vásquez, and Djimon Hounsou as the wizard Shazam.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods is currently set for release on June 2, 2023. That’s quite a while off, but as DC Fandome is abundantly showing, there’ll be plenty of things to watch between now and then.
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