Though we’ve recently heard Dwayne Johnson speak the magic word “Shazam!” to become the mighty Black Adam in the DC Extended Universe, it’s been two and a half years since we saw the superhero Shazam, a.k.a. Billy Batson, protecting the innocent on the big screen. Fortunately, we’re only four months away from Shazam! Fury of the Gods hitting theaters, and there’s some good news to share about the upcoming DC movie in the meantime. Shazam! 2 has been completed, so naturally director David F. Sandberg celebrated the momentous occasion.
As with the first Shazam! movie, David F. Sandberg handled helming duties on the sequel, which shot from late May to late August 2021. That was followed by a lengthy post-production period, which is necessary for a movie like this that’s filled with so many special and visual effects. But as Sandberg shared on Twitter, the final touches have been put on Fury of the Gods, and the filmmaker commemorated this with a look at one of the sequel’s frames from his screening room.
Finished! Now for a little time off. #ShazamMovie March 17 pic.twitter.com/ocK9kYXTzDOctober 31, 2022
Here we see Zachary Levi as Shazam hovering in the air holding a glowing staff in a sports stadium, and with the lightning behind him, it’s a good bet that is from one of Shazam! Fury of the Gods action-packed scenes. Shazam! viewers will recall that Billy Batson snapped the staff he inherited from Djimon Hounsou’s Wizard in half after sharing his powers with his foster siblings so that Mark Strong’s Dr. Sivana couldn’t harness its power. It doesn’t look like this is the same staff reformed, so where did Billy get this other staff, and what kind of power does it contain?
We’ll have to wait until Shazam! Fury of the Gods is out to learn those answers, but the more important thing is that the sequel is now in the can. David F. Sandberg is now certainly entitled to take some time off, as he’s spent nearly three years putting Fury of the Gods together. Sure, in a few months Sandberg and the movie’s actors will need to take part in the press rounds for Shazam! 2, but at least the movie is now in its final form, meaning all that’s left outside of promotional work is for audiences to feast their eyes on it.
Although the Shazam! mid-credits scene teased an alliance between Sivana and the super-intelligent caterpillar called Mister Mind, Shazam! Fury of the Gods will instead see the Shazamily members facing off against the Daughters of Atlas, one of the mythological figures from whom they draw their powers. This trio consists of Helen Mirren’s Hespera, Lucy Liu’s Kalypso and Rachel Zegler’s Anthea. Djimon Hounsou will also reprise The Wizard despite the character turning to dust in the first movie. Henry Gayden, who penned the Shazam! screenplay on his own, co-wrote Fury of the Gods with Chris Morgan.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods will work its magic in theaters on March 17, 2023. If you’d like to refresh yourself on what happens in the first movie, or you’d just like to watch the DC movies in order, they can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription.
