While films like Zack Snyder's Justice League and The Flash continue to bring together the live-action DC Universe, Warner Bros. pushes forward with many standalone projects with less clear connections to the rest of the franchise. Amongst this group are films like Shazam and Black Adam that take place in the same universe while continuing to tell their own stories.
However, many fans remain eager to see Zachary Levi's Shazam meet Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam and Henry Cavill's Superman, due to the deep links between the powerful caped characters in DC Comics. As Shazam: Fury of the Gods begins production, the film's director has addressed the potential of some surprise cameos in the film.
SHAZAM 2 DIRECTOR ON BLACK ADAM & SUPERMAN CAMEOS
To celebrate the National Day of Sweden, the Swedish Shazam: Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg has run an Instagram Q&A in Swedish. In response to several fan questions, the director addressed the potential of Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam and Henry Cavill's Superman making surprise appearances in the DC sequel. (Note: Sandberg's questions have been translated from Swedish to English).
When asked directly if The Rock will appear in the Shazam sequel, Sandberg outright denied the possibility saying “No, he has his own movie.” Johnson will make his long-awaited DC debut in Black Adam, which is set to release around a year before Fury of the Gods in July 2022.
Meanwhile, one fan intended to ask whether Henry Cavill's Superman will make a cameo appearance in the 2023 film. However, due to a translation error, the question instead said “Henry Cavill Superman will have a cameo in Shazam 2?”
In response to the message, Sandberg jokingly avoided the question by saying they “will be so disappointed when [they] translate this!”
WHO WILL BE JOINING ZACHARY LEVI IN SHAZAM 2?
While director David F. Sandberg outright denied the possibility of Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam making an appearance in the upcoming sequel, he seemed eager to avoid questions of a Superman cameo.
The Man of Steel had a brief cameo in the concluding moments of the first film as he comedically visited Billy's school cafeteria, however, no actor was ever put to the role with the hero's face being left off-camera and only the iconic suit visible.
It remains a major question who will play Superman going forward in the future of the DCEU, as the character has remained absent since 2017's Justice League. J.J. Abrams is currently in the early stages of development on a Superman movie featuring a black actor in the iconic suit, but it is yet to be confirmed whether the film is separate from the main DC timeline.
Given Cavill is currently committed to starring in Netflix's The Witcher series as monster hunter Geralt, it's hard to imagine the actor having time to take on a major role like the Man of Steel going forward. The ongoing uncertainty surrounding this role makes it extremely unlikely Superman will appear in the Shazam sequel in any capacity larger than the first film, although with two years still to go until release it remains a possibility the DCEU will secure its next Kryptonian actor by then.
Shazam and Black Adam are traditionally heavily interlinked characters in the comics, so it would be surprising if the two didn't come up against each other on-screen at some point in the near future. However, Sandberg's comments seem to suggest that the two won't come face to face in this film with the bout potentially being saved for a third installment or the inevitable Black Adam sequel, something a post-credit scene could tease.
As DC seems eager to establish The Rock's magical villain as a franchise star in his own right, the company may be looking for fans to build more connection to the character in solo films before crossing over the franchises.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods is set to release in theaters on June 2, 2023.
