DC Studios released a new full trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, revealing new details about the main antagonists’ plot and more dragon fighting action scenes.
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is proverbially and literally on its last legs this year. After DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran announced that they will be rebooting their superhero cinematic universe, fan anticipation for the remaining DCEU films has wavered. With the sequel to the first Shazam! movie being the first of the remaining DCEU projects to be released, it is in the unenviable position of signaling the twilight of this era.
But can it at least make a triumphant "last hurrah" for the DCEU? Check out the details below.
The new Shazam! Fury of the Gods trailer takes a swerve away from the more whimsical first one. Gone are the previous scenes with the quips about throwing a truck at a dragon, for instance. Instead, there is a more somber tone, with a more subdued emphasis on the humor.
The scenes show more action, with property damage and the usual CGI battles. More importantly, the motivations of the antagonists are revealed. It appears Hespera and Calypso are the daughters of the Olympian titan Atlas, and have come to Earth to reclaim the powers given by the wizard Shazam to his champions.
There are scenes showing Hespera taking away the powers of the Shazam family one-by-one, inevitably leaving only Billy (as Shazam) to fend off the goddesses. It also appears that he will be wielding the magical staff that the goddesses are using. Seemingly out of options, the hero turns to the old wizard for guidance.
Along the way, there are more battle scenes with the Shazam family dealing with creatures such as unicorns and, of course, the giant dragons. In fact, the new trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods shows a lot of dragon action and, at one point, Levi’s Shazam calling one of the goddesses as Khaleesi (a reference to the Game of Thrones character who is the "Mother of Dragons").
But is it too little too late? By the end of January, DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are expected to finally unveil their plans for the re-branded DC Universe. The buzz among fans of the DCEU is virtually non-existent, with some fans voicing out on social media how there seems to be no point in watching the remaining DCEU slate.
Even with Gunn posting about the new Shazam sequel trailer on his social media, the fan reaction ranges from angry to apathetic. What will this bode for the film’s upcoming box office? Will it suffer the same underperforming result of 2022’s Black Adam? Even with Henry Cavill returning as Superman in the end credits of the Dwayne Johnson-led superhero film, it received mixed reactions from critics while being enjoyed by fans of the DCEU.
#ShazamFuryOfTheGods new trailer! pic.twitter.com/4yoi97pg3j
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 26, 2023
On the other hand, if the Shazam! sequel proves to be a big success, how will that affect the plans of the new DC Studios management and the new direction they are taking? Zachary Levi did appear confident that his future as Shazam is secure in the new DC Universe.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Meagan Good, Ross Butler, Grace Currey, D.J. Cotrona, and Djimon Hounsou. The film is directed by David F. Sandberg and produced by Peter Safran from a screenplay by Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is set to arrive in theaters this March 17, 2023.
