Director David F. Sandberg‘s ‘Shazam!‘ was an endearing family-focused superhero film that explored one of the more interesting power fantasies in comic books, with a kid being endowed with super-human abilities and becoming an adult in the process. The hero has been around as long as the likes DC Comics royalty such as Superman and Batman but still has a ways to go to capture pop-culture at the same level.
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Making feature films focusing on DC Films‘ lesser-known character library should help increase their awareness with global audiences. Sandberg’s first installment proved that you could explore what it means to be a superhero without an entire city being destroyed. He’s set to return to direct the sequel, titled “Shazam! Fury of The Gods,” and we have learned about a new addition to the cast as revealed by The Hollywood Reporter.
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The New Line Cinema flick has added Oscar-winner Helen Mirren to the cast nabbing the role of villain Hespera, the daughter of Atlas. They add that fellow new addition, Rachel Zelger, is expected to be playing Hespera’s sister. This would suggest the pair might be up to no good in the sequel. Despite her classical pedigree, Mirren isn’t a stranger to blockbusters. She joined Universal‘s “Fast & Furious” franchise playing Mother Shaw and took a reoccurring role in the two “RED” films starring Bruce Willis.
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It’ll be lovely to see an actress of her caliber chewing up the scenery in a project like this and should make for some fun interactions between the demure Helen Mirren and the goofy Zachary Levi.
Warner Bros. is handling the film’s distribution and has given it a prime summer release date of June 2, 2023.