Shazam! Fury of the Gods began filming this week with many returning cast members as well as some franchise newcomers. Not only will Helen Mirren be joining the Shazam! sequel as the villain Hespera, a daughter of Atlas, but Lucy Liu will play Hespera’s sister, Kalypso. It was also previously reported that West Side Story star Rachel Zegler was cast in an unknown key role. While we’re still not sure who Zegler is playing, it looks like she’s already fitting in with the cast nicely. Asher Angel, who plays Billy Batson in the film, shared a cast photo to his Instagram stories this week and welcomed Zegler.
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Asher’s story has since expired, but it was shared by a fan account on Twitter. “Shazam crew with Rachel Zegler,” @ShazamNews tweeted. You can check out the photo in the post below:
Shazam crew with Rachel Zegler⚡️ pic.twitter.com/LawvnAFMRs
— Shazam Updates (@ShazamNews) May 25, 2021
As you can see, the imagine includes some of the younger members of the Shazamily, including Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy), Ian Chen (Eugene), and Grace Fulton (Mary). The movie will also see the return of Jovan Armand (Pedro) and Faithe Herman (Darla) as well as everyone’s adult counterparts, Adam Brody, D.J. Cotrona, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, and Michelle Borth. Of course, Zachary Levi is also returning to play the titular role.
Recently, ComicBook.com has the chance to chat with Mark Strong, who played Doctor Sivana in the first film. Strong confirmed he will not be in the sequel, but he did express his excitement for Mirren and Liu.
“You’re not going to see me in the sequel. Finally, I’m finally allowed to say it. I’ve had to sort of bite my tongue for so long, but I think they’re about to start filming in Atlanta and I’m very happy to give way to Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, who I think are going to make a couple of fantastic villains. I mean, judging by the performances by Emma Thompson and Emma Stone in Cruella, it’s time for the female villains, I think,” Strong shared. “Well, you know, maybe he’s gone unfinished with Mister Mind and we’ll be back further down the line, who knows.”
In addition to Shazam! Fury of the Gods, production is also officially underway for Black Adam, which will see Dwyane Johnson leading his first major comic book movie. Black Adam, of course, is Shazam’s biggest foe, so folks are looking forward to the future of the franchise.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is currently set to hit theaters on June 2, 2023.
