Out of all the DCEU films we’ve seen, Shazam! was without a doubt the most pleasant and welcome surprise. Admittedly, many people were skeptical about the idea of director David F. Sandberg – who was most well known for his horror efforts before he boarded the project – making the jump to a $100 million comic book blockbuster, while writer Henry Gayden’s only previous credit was for the underwhelming sci-fi Earth to Echo. And that’s without even mentioning leading man Zachary Levi, who was untried when it came to headlining a movie on this scale.
However, despite all that, the pic scored rave reviews from critics and fans and though its box office gross of roughly $366 million wasn’t exactly anything to write home about, it marked a nice change of pace for the DCEU, offering up a light-hearted and action-packed adventure.
As such, a sequel was swiftly announced, and now that production is beginning to heat up, the cast is starting to fall into place. In fact, Deadline reports today that none other than Helen Mirren has boarded the follow-up and she’ll be playing a villainous role.
According to the outlet, the legendary actress will be portraying Hespera, “a daughter of Atlas.” That’s all that the initial report offers up, though, so we’re left to speculate on how she’ll fit into the story and where exactly the filmmakers are drawing inspiration from when it comes to the comics.
Regardless, Mirren is obviously a tremendous addition to the cast and will no doubt make for a deliciously entertaining antagonist for the titular hero to go up against. And with any luck, we’ll find out more about her role as we inch closer to Shazam! Fury of the Gods‘ June 2nd, 2023 release date.