Everything to Know About 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods'
Helen Mirren, dragons, and family values make this sequel look positively magical.
Shazam 2 is finally on the way! Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the highly anticipated sequel to the beloved 2019 hit.
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Zachary Levi returns as the titular hero, who's balancing the struggles of adolescence, acceptance and foster family dynamics with the trials and tribulations of fighting the forces of evil—and this time, there's an Oscar winner in Dame Helen Mirren as a new Big Bad. Here's everything to know about the Shazam! Fury of the Gods release date, trailer, cast and more.
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When is the Shazam 2 release date?
Shazam! Fury of the Gods will hit theaters on March 17, 2023.
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Who is in the Shazam 2 cast?
The Shazam! Fury of the Gods cast is an exciting one! The returning cast and new characters include:
Zachary Levi as Billy Batson/Shazam
Warner Bros.
Zachary Levi returns as the titular hero Shazam. Levi recently came out in defense of the new DC heads at Warner Bros., James Gunn and Peter Safran.
After it was revealed Gunn wouldn't use Henry Cavill as Superman moving forward, many DC fans expressed their unhappiness at the revamping of the DC Extended Universe and trolled Gunn online. Levi released a video on Instagram trying to ease fans' minds.
“Up to this point, there have been quite a few DC films that may have made some fans very happy, but they’re not tapping into the larger audience,” Levi said in the clip. “Marvel was very successful in doing that—bringing in as many people to the table, as many people that could be satiated and brought joy and all that stuff.”
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“If you’re out there, and you really liked what happened before, you can do that—that’s fine. But recognize there’s a lot of people that didn’t like those things, and we should always be trying to, I think, tap into as much audience as possible, making as many people as happy as possible," he continued. "That’s what we’re in entertainment for, and I think that’s what Peter and James are really trying to do, and it’s not an easy position. They got handed all of these things that were already in a lot of conflict. So guys, just f**king give them a break. Take it easy. Take a breath.”
Asher Angel as Billy Batson
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Asher Angel stars as teenage Billy Batson, who transforms into Shazam when he says the magic word. In the sequel, he faces a crossroads as to whether he wants to continue being a superhero or embrace normalcy as a teen. He told ScreenRant that he's excited for Gunn's 10-year plan for the DCEU and said of the second Shazam installment, "It feels incredible. People have been waiting for this movie. It's bigger, it's better, and there's more action-packed scenes. It's literally everything you want in a superhero movie. There's so much heart, and there's so much fun. It's such a fun movie, so I think people are really going to be excited to see it. Get ready."
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Dame Helen Mirren as Hespera
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Oscar winner Helen Mirren stars as Hespera, one of the Daughters of Atlas, in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. In Shazam 2, she and her demigod sisters hunt Billy and his siblings to take their powers, which Hespera says were stolen from their father.
Mirren told the Associated Press that she loved the experience of working with her onscreen sisters, explaining, "It’s so infrequent that you get to spend a whole of a movie with two other women. So often you’re the only woman in the cast. Here we were a trio, and that was great. I loved it.”
Lucy Liu as Kalypso
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Lucy Liu stars as Kalypso, one of the Daughters of Atlas at war against Billy Batson and his brood.
Rachel Zegler as Anthea
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Rachel Zegler stars as Anthea, the third Daughter of Atlas. Mirren gushed that Zegler "will be a huge star in a very short space of time."
Djimon Hounsou as Shazam
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Djimon Hounsou stars as the ancient wizard who gave Billy his powers.
Grace Caroline Currey as Mary Bromfield and Superhero Mary
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Grace Caroline Currey stars as both regular and superhero Mary. As the oldest of Billy's siblings, she was seen deciding on a college in Shazam! in 2019, so it makes sense that her superhero self would be the same young adult age.
Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman
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Jack Dylan Grazer, who had star turns in It and Luca, returns as Billy Batson's BFF and foster brother Freddy Freeman.
Adam Brody as Superhero Freddy Freeman
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Rejoice! Adam Brody is back as Freddy's superhero form. Grazer joked to Entertainment Weekly, "I knew it from the pilot of The OC, I knew that one day he would play me. It’s very intuitive between us. We’re both very instinctual actors—we both follow our gut. We’re very good with our intuitions. I’ll see him for a brief second. Maybe I will say the magic word and then we’ll switch out and high five and slap each other on the back. It’s really cool."
Ian Chen as Eugene Choi
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Ian Chen returns as gamer extraordinaire Eugene Choi.
Ross Butler as Superhero Eugene
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Superhero Eugene will be played once more by Ross Butler of Riverdale fame.
Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley
The adorable Faithe Herman is back as the sweet and super-honest Darla Dudley. Seriously, how precious is she?
Meagan Good as Superhero Darla
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The stunning Meagan Good reprises her role as the lovable, loving, speedy superhero Darla.
Jovan Armand as Pedro Pe?a
DC/Warner Bros.
Jovan Armand will star once more as the academically challenged, insecure and shy Pedro Pe?a.
D.J. Cotrona as Superhero Pedro
DC/Warner Bros.
Superhero Pedro will once more be played by the hulking, hunky D.J. Cotrona. Cotrona was previously cast as Superman for Justice League: Mortal but the film was canceled due to the writers' strike in 2007-2008.
DC/Warner Bros.
Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez
Cooper Andrews of The Walking Dead fame is back as foster father Victor Vasquez.
Marta Milans as Rosa Vasquez
Marta Milans stars as the foster matriarch Rosa.
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Is there a Shazam 2 trailer?
In fact, there are two!
The first trailer, released in July 2022, shows Billy struggling with imposter syndrome and comparing himself to other superheroes—as well as a first look at the dragons that will accompany the villains Hespera, Kalypso and Anthea.
In the second, released on Jan. 26, 2023, we get a better look at the threat that Hespera, Kalypso and Anthea pose, as well as of Billy's internal battle of whether he's capable of being a hero.
What is Shazam 2 about?
According to DC's official synopsis:
Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with having adult Super Hero alter-egos. But when the Daughters of Atlas, a vengeful trio of ancient gods, arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Billy—aka Shazam—and his family are thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of their world.
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Is Shazam 2 streaming?
Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be released exclusively in theaters. When it does go to streaming after the theatrical window, it will likely hit HBO Max.
Is Shazam going to be in the DCEU?
It remains to be seen if Shazam! will remain part of the revamped DCEU under James Gunn. It may depend on how Shazam! Fury of the Gods performs at the box office. The original Shazam! was a surprise hit in 2019 and was significantly profitable, so if the sequel follows accordingly, hopefully we'll get more.