Zachary Levi was on the hunt for a major superhero role for a while there and he finally landed one in Shazam!, as the titular character who’s really a kid turned into a super-powered adult. Critics and fans were united in agreement that Levi was the perfect casting for such a fun, light-hearted role, but the actor says he’d be interested in challenging himself in a less squeaky-clean part in the future.
Levi attended Germany’s CCXP Cologne convention recently and was asked whether he would consider playing a villain or a hero with darker shades to them in the DCEU if the opportunity arose. The star made clear that he would definitely jump at the chance if he was asked.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Look, if DC came to me and said, ‘Hey Zach, we’d love to be in business with you, would you like to play any of the characters in our catalog?’ My answer would be ‘Yes, please, thank you.’ I mean, there’s some that I would like to play more, I suppose because I think they’re more dynamic characters, but yeah, I would love to play some dark, brooding [character],” he replied.
Levi then touched on the age-old debate over who’s better between Superman and Batman. Though the star says he’s a Supes fan, and loves that he’s played lighter characters like TV’s Chuck and Shazam, Levi has to admit that the Dark Knight is “sexier” so he would like a go at going dark himself.
“There’s a reason why Batman is one of the most successful characters. In fact, from a TV and film standpoint, Batman is far more successful than Superman, right? Although Superman is a far more popular character in the annals of history, so why is that? Think about it. Superman — and by the way, I love Superman — Superman is the ultimate boy scout. Superman is like tried and true, he’s always gonna choose right, and I love that because Chuck and Shazam are kind of similar in that regard, I love that about Superman. But for the world we live in, and all of the things we kind of hold up and value and whatever, I mean, Batman’s way sexier. Batman’s like, he’s got issues [laughs].”
In case, you haven’t got the message by now, Levi concluded with: “Yes, I’d love to do all of that.”
Funnily enough, the actor’s future on-screen nemesis, Dwayne Johnson, has likewise voiced an interest in doubling up with another role in the DCEU. Ahead of his debut as Black Adam, the Rock joked that he could also be the first black actor to portray Superman. If that’s the case, why not cast Levi as Zod or Lex Luthor? In fact, why not make the future of the franchise just these two actors role-playing different characters in each successive movie? We kid, of course.
Zachary Levi also said at this same event that he hopes a Shazam! sequel will get going as soon as possible, as well as teasing DC’s big plans for the franchise. Suffice it to say, it sounds like we’ll be seeing a lot more of Levi in the role in the near future and we’re excited to find out where he takes the character next.
