It was widely reported that DC Comics and Warner Bros.announced Shazam 2 is officially happeningover the weekend at CCXP. We need to pump the brakes just a bit on that, though. Over the weekend, Warner Bros. brought a big showing for DC Films to Comic Con Experience in Brazil, which included the first trailer forWonder Woman 1984, a brief preview ofThe Suicide Squadfrom the set with director James Gunn and news that Matt Reeves will bringThe Batmanto the event next year. While there were reports that the studio confirmed theShazamsequel as well, that isn’t the case.
According to a new report, Warner Bros. confirmed that they didn’t officially announceShazam 2at CCXP. That said, it doesn’t mean the sequel isn’t in development. It’s just that Warner Bros. is likely waiting to announce it at a later date once they’ve firmly decided that they’re moving forward with it, and once they’ve hammered down a bit more clearly when it’s going to happen. In any event, despite what happened atCCXP, every indication is that we haven’t seen the last of Billy Batson on the big screen.
Shazam was released earlier this year and helped put DC Films on a bit of a hot streak following the mess that wasJustice Leaguein 2017. Zachary Levi’s take on the adolescent boy turned superhero resonated with critics and audiences alike, as the movie currently boasts a 90 percent critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, to go along with an 83 percent audience rating. Early DCEU entries, such asBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeandSuicide Squad, were far more divisive. BothAquamanandJokerhave also gone on to become huge successes, with both movies grossing more than $1 billion at the box office.
That said,Shazam didn’t make a boatload at the box officewhen compared to other recent DC movies, bringing in $364 million globally. However, the movie also had a slightly smaller budget, with reports putting it in the $90 to $100 million range. For the sake of comparison,Aquamanhad a reported production budget in the $160 million range. Point being, it was still a successful endeavor for Warner Bros. and, given the positive reception, they have every reason to expect that a sequel would do quite well.
When last we heard, Henry Gayden, who penned the screenplay for the first movie, was tasked withwriting the Shazam 2 script. It’s also expected that director David F. Sandberg would return, should the movie be given the official green light. In addition to Zachary Levi, the cast also included Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Grace Fulton, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans and Djimon Hounsou. It’s expected that many of the key players, such as Levi and Angel, would reprise their roles as well. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details regardingShazam 2are made available. This news comes to us viaComicbook.com.
