With widespread changes coming to the DC Universe (DCU), Shazam! Fury of the Gods star Zachary Levi addressed his future with the franchise.
Weeks after DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran pulled the curtain back on their new plans for the DCU, questions still remain surrounding a number of heroes, including Levi's Shazam.
In the lead-up to the new slate reveal, rumors of Levi's DC departure had been swirling. The actor referred to the general DC chatter online as "blatantly false," and offered his support for whatever the new regime takes the blue brand in the future.
Since then the actor has continued to be vocal about what comes next for him after Shazam 2, telling fans that he hopes Gunn and Safran have "a plan and a future for Shazam."
Zachary Levi on the DC Reboot
Speaking in a new interview with Den of Geek, Shazam! Fury of the Gods actor Zachary Levi responded to concerns that he will not be Shazam going forward in the DCU.
Levi revealed he "doesn't know" what Gunn and Safran's DC plans exactly are, but assured fans that they will be "really cool:"
"As fate would have it, we have two new excellent leaders in James Gunn and Peter Safran. They’re both friends of mine who I trust very deeply, and I know that they are concocting really cool plans. I don’t know what they are, but I will trust wherever they want to take us.”
He remarked that "There’s definitely little ideas" that he has brought up pertaining to where his DC character could go next, and he is "sure [he's] gonna sit down with James and Peter soon," but thinks "the success of the second movie will determine a lot:"
“There’s definitely little ideas here and there that I brought up in the past. I’m sure I’m gonna sit down with James and Peter soon enough, and we’ll talk about what we think the trajectory of all this will be. The success of the second movie will determine a lot.”
According to the actor, "there are all manner of different things that can be done." It's just a matter of "trying to figure out what we can do to keep making good material that includes Shazam:"
“It’s just a matter of just trying to figure out what we can do to keep making good material that includes Shazam, staying true to the character and doing right by our fan base and all the people who have supported the comic and the character for coming up on a century. There are all manner of different things that can be done.”
When asked about the idea of going up against Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam somewhere down the line, Levi opined, “that’s all way above my pay grade.”
In the same interview, Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg brought up the more serious conflict that Billy Batson/Shazam has to go through in the upcoming film, pointing to wanting to "have at least some moments" where the character "comes off as kind of badass:"
"He has to make some real sacrifices to protect not just his family but the world. I wanted to have at least some moments where he comes off as kind of badass, especially towards the end.”
Will Zachary Levi Be Back as Shazam?
No Shazam 3 is on the book for DC Studios (at least publicly), so Zachary Levi's future as the DC hero remains in question.
It certainly feels like a lot is riding on the success of Fury of the Gods. If the upcoming sequel hits theaters, garners glowing reviews, and rakes in a hefty return at the box office, then James Gunn and Peter Safran would almost have to greenlight a third movie.
However, they may also want to go clean slate on something like this, making their own Shazam somewhere down the line.
Levi has mentioned a number of times that Gunn is "a friend of [his]," and that is something that could actually play into the actor's favor going forward.
Gunn likes working with his friends, going as far as to recently say that many of the Guardians of the Galaxy team will "probably" make the jump to DC eventually.
So, not to say the studio exec would give the go-ahead on a film simply because he likes the person in it, but, that prior relationship would not be points against the Shazam star.
However, nothing is certain until an official announcement is made with Zachary Levi's name attached to it.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods hits theaters worldwide on Friday, March 17.
