Shazam! Fury of the Gods Star Asher Angel Reveals His Main Goal for Billy's Growth

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is being released in theaters this month and it will feature the return of Zachary Levi in the titular role as well as Asher Angel (Billy Batson), Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy), Ian Chen (Eugene), Jovan Armand (Pedro), Faithe Herman (Darla), and Grace Fulton (Mary). The returning adult-sized Shazamily will include actors Adam Brody, D.J. Cotrona, Ross Butler, and Meagan Good. This week, ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis had the chance to chat with some of the DC movie's stars, and he talked to Angel about his return to the role he shares with Levi, and how Billy has grown since the first film. 

"It was so nice that we got to do a bunch of rehearsals, which you know, with these kinds of movies, I feel like you don't really get real rehearsal time. So we, we had like, I guess a week to really dial in our characters ... I sat down with David [F. Sandberg] and you know, I tried to dissect it," Angel explained. "I feel like my main goal for Billy was to come off as just this ... he's a very genuine human and has a good heart and he's super giddy about having these superpowers." 

He continued, "I feel like I had to play more of Zach in this movie. That was kind of my deep dive and, you know, he's on the road to self-discovery as a young teenager and you know, figuring out his everyday life and going through the motions. So yeah, that was something that I tried to analyze and dissect."

Has Asher Angel Commented on James Gunn's New DC Role?

Last year, James Gunn and Peter Safran tepped into their roles as co-CEOs of DC Studios, which led to many big surprises within the franchise. Speaking to ComicBook.com's Liam Crowley while promoting Hulu's Darby and the Dead last year, Angel talked about Gunn's new DC role. 

"I think, in a way, Shazam did open up the DC Universe because it's lighthearted and it's fun," Angel said. "I feel like we haven't had a movie like that in the DC Universe in a really long time. I think getting to have that makes it really special."

Angel continued by praising DC Studios' co-CEOs, calling the pairing of Gunn and Safran a "dream team."

"I remember meeting James. I went to the Suicide Squad stages in Atlanta. I met with him and he's just a super nice, genuine, humble guy. Super passionate," Angel explained. "Obviously, he's super freaking talented, but for him to team up with Peter Safran, who I think is so incredibly gifted at what he does is, it's a dream team. To pair the two it totally makes sense. It was bound to happen."

You can watch ComicBook.com's full interview with Asher on our YouTube channel. Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be released exclusively in theaters on March 17th.