Warner Bros. and DC Films are doing everything in their power to bring top-notch talent into play for their upcoming movies within the DCEU. This includes adding stars like Office Space's Ron Livingston into the cast of The Flash and former 007 Pierce Brosnan to the cast of Black Adam, which already boasts Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as its leading man.
This is continuing with Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, which is currently the last film on the slate with a confirmed release date.
Zachary Levi will reprise the teenager-turned-superhero for his second DCEU movie and is gaining some high-profile backup in his supporting cast as well. Rachel Zegler is joining the team in an undisclosed role while acting icon Helen Mirren's role has been confirmed to be the villain Hespera.
Thanks to the latest news, Mirren has gained a partner on her side of the fight.
SHAZAM! SEQUEL LOADS UP AGAIN
Variety has confirmed that Hollywood veteran Lucy Liu has signed on to play the villainous role of Kalypso in the Zachary Levi-starring Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Kalypso is the sister of Hespera, played in the film by Helen Mirren.
In celebration of this casting, director David F. Sandberg took to Twitter to post a hysterical picture of Liu with her new co-star, Zachary Levi. The image is a screencap from Kill Bill: Volume 1 of Liu's O-Ren Ishii holding a photoshopped version of Levi's head in her hand, which can be seen in all its glory below:
— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) April 12, 2021
WARNER BROS. NOT HOLDING ANY PUNCHES
While there isn't a specific comic inspiration for Lucy Liu's Kalypso, she and Hespera will be shown as the daughters of the mighty Atlas, one of the most powerful characters in DC's mythology. With ties back to Zeus and the other Greek gods, his offspring will certainly be a force to be reckoned with, and Liu seems like a fantastic choice to bring someone of that caliber to life.
Her film resume speaks for itself, having starred in action adventures like Kill Bill: Volume 1 and the Charlie's Angels series. Most recently, she spent seven years playing a co-starring role on the CBS TV series Elementary as Joan Watson.
Liu even has some experience in the superhero genre as well, directing the Season 2 premiere of Luke Cage for Marvel Television and Netflix. While this will be her first acting role in this field, she undoubtedly has the acting and action chops to tackle anything thrown her way.
Shazam!: Fury of the Gods will begin filming in May 2021, and it is set to release in theaters on June 2, 2023.
