While the follow-up to Shazam isn't due out until 2023, its star, Zachary Levi, wishes that the release date could get moved up. In a recent interview, he made it clear that the main reason he wants to see Shazam: Fury of the Gods to hit theaters sooner is because he believes that the movie is actually going to be quite a bit better than its predecessor.
While Levi is aware that actors are often guilty of saying that their next upcoming project is better than the last, the Shazam star says he thinks there are some tangible reasons why the sequel will be better than the first film in this franchise. When he laid out those reasons, he tried to make it clear that this wasn't just a matter of blind love for the project, but the stuff he could point to for why Shazam!: Fury of the Gods will be better than what he felt was a very good first movie.
Speaking with Collider, Levi laid out his rationale, with the first big one being that almost the entire cast from the first Shazam film is returning. He said that while he thought that crew did a great job the first time around, they all had a better idea of who their characters were in Shazam 2. The actor said that having the same writer for both films is also something that contributes to the second Shazam being even better than the first. He feels as though Henry Gayden being the one who has penned both scripts allowed him to hit his stride and write something that worked just a little better.
To that end, Levi also feels as though the kid actors are just a little bit older and therefore are able to take on their roles just a little bit better. Finally, Levi said that he thinks the coup de grace when it comes to making a film that's a bit better than its predecessor is that even the bad guys are very good. He said that both Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu are very good at doing what they need to do for their characters.
Levi, who is headlining Shazam and Shazam 2 after logging his first superhero movie in Marvel Studios' Thor films, is very clear that he's excited for the world to see Fury of the Gods. In fact, he added that he's still crossing his fingers that the film could eventually be moved up from its current launch date.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods is set to hit theaters on June 2, 2023.
Source: Collider