Zachary Levi managed to give the character of Shazam a very special personality since the first film in 2019. Now, he returns with a sequel in which he will unleash the fury of the gods and it was the actor himself, who joked about how to interpret this peculiar superhero to his 42 years of age.
Shazam, is the funniest hero of DC Comics that returns with the sequel titled ‘Shazam! The Fury of the Gods’, where Zachary Levi returns with Billy Batson as his alter ego (Asher Angel) for a new adventure alongside his heroic adoptive brothers.
“Filming for the sequel directed by David F. Sandberg was so easy. I really enjoyed the release even before reading the script. When David and Henry (Gayden) told me what the whole concept of the second movie was going to be, I was in it. I thought, ‘These are great ingredients to build a really wonderful sequel to what we’ve already created,’ so I was really excited about that and getting back together with all the cast and crew that I loved so much, and it’s a really fun to play. I mean, I get to be a superhero, and a really fun one,” Levi said.
new dynamic
For the director, there are changing dynamics and new twists that have drawn him together for this new installment.
“It was also very exciting to bring these Greek gods back, to see where Shazam got his powers from, and to learn that there are some dangerous adversaries out there who aren’t happy that he has them. It creates great potential for a great battle between gods and superheroes,” said the filmmaker.
Meanwhile, Levi said that the combination of superheroes and gods fit perfectly into the story.
“Greek mythology is in a lot of DC’s DNA, so I thought that was a great idea, and again, when they pitched the idea to me, I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah!’ I mean, Shazam has a lot of Greek god, demigod and titan blood, it made sense that this is a world we would play in at some point.”
The lead man revealed that he got a little cheeky in this return because, “in this movie, you get a sense of family dynamics and how Billy wants to be the glue that holds everyone together, as well as being a leader; It’s like he feels like it’s his responsibility, like Shazam. But he’s struggling, because he’s still a kid. He’s still young, he’s still trying to figure out what it means to be a leader.”
A boy at 42
Zachary Levi claimed to have a lot of Shazam’s quirks and character, because he’s still a kid at 42.
“At the end of ‘Shazam!’ we introduced the whole family as superheroes, but we only got a glimpse of that. One of the exciting things for me in this movie was exploring more about how they live as teenagers and how they work together as superheroes and, unsurprisingly, it’s not always successful. Like Shazam, they’re all still young at heart, some more than others, going through everything kids do.”
Lastly, it was Levi himself who pointed out that there is a secret ingredient at the heart of the story that is the real hook for audiences of all ages.
“It’s a wish fulfillment! At some point in our lives, we dream of becoming something like a superhero: stronger, faster, braver, or simply more heroic in the world. That’s why comics exist: these colorful pages full of fantasy, surrealism and magical realism in which we can disappear. I mixed that with tons of heart and humor and charm, along with David’s direction, the great script, our incredible cast and crew – it all comes together to create a superhero movie for everyone and just a really entertaining movie.”
To se her
‘Shazam! The fury of the gods’
Opening in theaters today
