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Returning Shazam director David F. Sandberg says its sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, will “definitely” show more than just a glimpse of the super-powered “Shazamily” in action. After the magic of an ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou) transformed foster kid Billy Batson (Asher Angel) into an adult-sized superhero (Zachary Levi), he quickly made enemies with super powerful scientist Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong). When Sivana unleashed the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, Billy/Shazam defeated the villains with the help of superhero siblings Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody), Eugene (Ian Chen, Ross Butler), Pedro (Jovan Armand, D.J. Cotrona), Darla (Faithe Herman, Meagan Good), and Mary (Grace Fulton, Michelle Borth).
“Now they’re all superheroes, they’re all a family with superpowers. And now we finally get to see that,” Sandberg said during a fan Q&A with the Shazam! cast and crew at DC FanDome Saturday. “We only got a glimpse of that in the first movie, so that’s something to look forward to.”
In a 2019 interview with Backstory Magazine, Sandberg said a sequel “could do more” with the Shazam family, who were granted their powers in the climax of the first movie.
“We just introduced them, but you could explore how they work as a family of heroes,” Sandberg said, adding he didn’t want to “hold back” from introducing the superhero foster family in Shazam’s first movie.
“I saw a lot of speculating online about the kids turning into their adult counterparts. But people thought there was no way we’d do that in the first film, that we’d save it for the sequel or somewhere down the line,” he explained. “But for us, it was like, no, let’s do the best we can right now. I think that’s a better way to go. You never know if later is going to happen, so you shouldn’t hold back for no reason.”
Plus, Sandberg added, “The movie builds on this family theme, and the big payoff is that anyone can become a superhero, no matter your background.”
Earlier in September, Levi confirmed plans for an early 2021 shooting start on Shazam 2. The sequel, which showed off an unofficial poster featuring the Shazamily at the first DC FanDome event in August, was previously set for April 2022 before Warner Bros. shifted Fury of the Gods to November 4 that same year.
Warner Bros. next plans to open Wonder Woman 1984 on December 25, followed by the James Gunn-directed The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021, and the Robert Pattinson-starring The Batman on October 1, 2021.