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Months after the failure of Shazam! 2, the star of the film, Zachary Levi, opened up about the possible future of the franchise on The FilmUp Podcast. The actor expressed that he had no idea what the future holds for him and his character, especially with the rapid changes in the DCEU, which have already seen James Gunn take over and remove big names like Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill from the ranks.
Despite the first Shazam! doing remarkably well in an otherwise imbalanced DCEU palette, the second film failed to impress critics and managed to only earn $133 million worldwide, which is only $8 million more than its budget. The film got a digital release within a month of its release, classifying it as yet another WB flop.
Speaking about the failure of the second film, Zachary Levi blamed the online trend of hatred and the changing world while speaking on the podcast. He said:
"I think even just the world, from the first movie to the second movie, the world has shifted so much. Social media has shifted so much. Hate, online hate and haters and trolls, and factions and all that has just gotten more galvanized in its toxicity...I think there are people who genuinely, unfortunately, want to destroy certain projects because they don't like them, or they don't like me, or they don't like other people involved in them or whatever."
He also explained that he had no idea where the franchise or he was headed after this.
"I'm not saying Shazam! Fury of the Gods is some perfect... Orson Welles-like masterpiece, but it's a good darn movie"- Zachary Levi on his second Shazam!
Despite the online backlash and the lack of profit, Levi believes that Shazam! Fury of the Gods is not as bad as it was made to look on paper. He admitted that the second film was not up to the standard of the first one, but the actor believed that it had received more hatred than it deserved.
Zachary Levi said:
"I've been a part of things, and as much as I wish they were good, I know they're okay...I know that they miss a lot. And I'm not saying Shazam! Fury of the Gods is some perfect... Orson Welles-like masterpiece, but it's a good darn movie."
He further expressed his disappointment and revealed that he was uncertain of the future, saying:
"I have no idea where we go from here. I just hope that or believe that history will show... it will be one of those things that people will go back, people will watch Fury of the Gods on home streaming or on a plane or whatever, and it will be this movie that they heard so much s**t about and then they will be like, 'Well, wait a minute."
The future of the entire DCEU is currently in jeopardy, with most films getting a reboot in a new universe. The failure of The Flash was perhaps the last nail in the coffin for the existing DC universe, which will look forward to building things from scratch. This also means that there is little chance for Shazam! to get a sequel in the future.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is available for streaming on HBO Max.
