James Gunn and Peter Safran’s vision for the rebooted DC Universe is slowly taking shape with new characters and stories being revealed. However, the future of some of the characters from the old DCEU is still uncertain.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be opening in theaters later this month and fans are curious if this will be the last movie for Zachary Levi’s Billy Batson, aka Shazam. One fan asked director David F. Sandberg about the future of Shazam in the new DCU. The director teased that the future of Shazam will depend on whether or not audiences come out to see the movie.
"[Shazam!] definitely won't if people don't go see the movie," Sandberg said. "What I've been told is that there's nothing in the Shazam films that contradict the future plans for DC. So the possibility for more Shazam is there and if that's what you want your best bet is to go see the film."
He definitely won’t if people don’t go see the movie. What I’ve been told is that there’s nothing in the Shazam films that contradict the future plans for DC. So the possibility for more Shazam is there and if that’s what you want your best bet is to go see the film. https://t.co/MdjZuGK4co
— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) February 28, 2023
If the movie does well at the box office, it will be hard for DC to discontinue the Zachary Levi-led film series. DC also cannot afford more fan backlash similar to when the studio announced that it had let go of Superman actor Henry Cavill.
Will Shazam! be part of the DCU?
Shazam was not included in the first slate of projects revealed by Gunn and Safran. Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, which sets up the new DC Universe, includes mainstays such as Superman and Batman but leaves out the rest of the Justice League members.
However, Fury of the Gods actor Grace Caroline Currey believes that Shazam has a future in the DC Universe.
"I think we're in incredible hands," Currey said in an interview with The Direct. "I got excited about the slate, because I know James Gunn just brings so much to comic book lore and he's so well-versed. So yeah, I'm not in the conversations, of course. You know, I'm along for the ride."
She adds, "And when they say, 'Grace, it's time,' I'm there… I'm really, really curious. I'm really interested to see what comes up with this slate. And I think there's gonna be a whole new breath too to just the world and yeah, I'm really curious."
If Shazam! Fury of the Gods performs better than the original Shazam movie, it may convince James Gunn and Peter Safran to include the character in its next slate of projects. If it falls flat at the box office, it may share the same fate as Black Adam. Gunn revealed earlier that Dwayne Johnson’s Teth-Adam will not be part of DC’s immediate future.
One thing that Shazam! Fury of the Gods has that Black Adam doesn't is a theatrical release in China. The movie will be premiering in Chinese theaters on the same day as its worldwide release. It should give the movie a significant boost in terms of ticket sales.
Will we be seeing more of Shazam? That is something that we will know once Shazam! Fury of the Gods hits theaters on March 17.
