Lucy Liu has joined the cast of the upcoming DC sequelShazam! Fury of the Godsas the villainous Kalypso. TheKill Billstar joins returning franchise star Zachary Levi as the titular superhero along with new cast members Rachel Zegler and Helen Mirren. While the former will play a mystery role, Mirren will play the villain Hespera, a daughter of Atlas and Kalypso’s sister.
OriginalShazam!director David F. Sandberg is back in the director’s chair forShazam! Fury of the Gods. Screenwriter Henry Gayden also returned to pen the script and Peter Safran is producing via The Safran Company. Based on the character created by Bill Parker and C.C. Peck, the sequel will “continue the story of teenageBilly Batsonwho, upon reciting the magic word ‘SHAZAM!’ is struck by the Living Lightning of the gods and transformed into his adult superhero alter ego, Shazam.”
Lucy Liuis known for playing Alex Munday in twoCharlie’s Angelsmovies, though she played a much more villainous character in Quentin Tarantino’s violent epicKill Bill: Volume 1. She has also appeared inShanghai Noon,Chicago, andThe Man with the Iron Fists. More recently, she played Joan Watson for seven seasons on the acclaimed CBS drama seriesElementaryand had a starring role in the CBS All Access seriesWhy Women Kill.
Released in 2019, the firstShazam!starred Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou. In addition to earning mostly positive reviews from critics and fans, the movie was also asuccess at the box officewith $366 million grossed worldwide. Word of the sequel was reported just days after the premiere ofShazam!in theaters. It was originally given a tentative release date for 2022, but the pandemic of 2020 delayed the production. The titleShazam! Fury of the Godswas officially revealed at DC FanDome in August 2020.
In an Instagram Q&A with fans last year,Shazam!director David F. Sandberg spoke about which aspects of the original he’s looking to improve in the sequel. “[I’d like to improve] a lot of things,” Sandberg told his followers. “It’s why I’m eager to make another one. A Chance to improve on things like the action sequences, things we didn’t have time to get right with the suits, some of the CGI, etc.”
He added: “You learn so much on every movie that you can’t wait to make another one and make use of all you’ve learned.”
Shazam! Fury of the Godsis scheduled to bereleased on August 22, 2025. Meanwhile, filming has just begun on the spinoff movieBlack Adamwith Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. There’s no indication Levi will appear, and other cast members include Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo, Aldis Hodge, Sarah Shahi, and Quintessa Swindell. While it’s unclear at this time ifShazam 2will crossover withBlack Adam, the plan is for the two characters to meet in a crossover movie at some point in the future. This news comes to us fromDeadline.
