While the rest of DC’s upcoming movie slate has been shifted back into next year, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is coming our way earlier than expected, with its original summer 2023 release shifted forward to this Christmas.
While the 2019 origins movie for Zachary Levi’s aged-up hero wasn’t exactly the biggest superhero smash ever made, it pleased a lot of fans by being the perfect counterpart to the darker side of the DCEU. Now, this first trailer for its follow-up promises that even more furious fun is on the way.
Warner Bros. shared the first trailer for Shazam! 2, which you can catch above, at the studio’s Comic-Con panel today. As you can see, the film finds Levi’s Billy Batson going up against two bonafide goddesses in the form of Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu), the daughters of Greek god Atlas. Joining him in the fray is the rest of the “Shazamily”, including best pal Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer/Adam Brody). Although the real star of the trailer is surprisingly Eminem.
Among the rest of the returnees are Asher Angel as young Billy, Djimon Hounsou as Shazam the Wizard, and Grace Fulton, who’ll play both regular and superhero Mary Bromfield this time around. The preview likewise offers a glimpse at Rachel Zegler’s new ally for the team, who has been the subject of much speculation ever since the West Side Story breakout star was revealed to be in the movie in a mysterious role, the unidentified less-evil sister to Hespera and Kalypso. Her character is now confirmed to be named Anne.
While it hasn’t been grabbing the same kinds of headlines as The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, then — and, honestly, that’s probably a good thing — Shazam! Fury of the Gods could easily end up being even more entertaining than the other DCEU entries coming over the next 12 months. We’ll find out when it hits theaters this Dec. 21.