Shazam! Fury of the Gods Star Teases Freddy’s Heroic Return

The cast of Shazam!: Fury of the Gods still don’t know exactly when the movie will go in front of the cameras, according to actor Jack Dylan Grazer. Still, the fact that the movie has been in development for so long means that they have at least some sense of what will be in store for their characters in the next installment — and for Grazer, that means a return to the world of being a superhero, rather than just backing one up. In Shazam!, Grazer’s Freddy was essentially the “man in the van character, using his superhero superfan status to provide expertise to Billy Batson’s heroic alter ego.

Of course, in the movie’s final moments, Freddy and the rest of Billy’s foster siblings had the power of Shazam thrust upon them, and that means the next movie, Freddy won’t just be the brains of the operation. He’ll be a superhero in his own right, and one who will presumably have quite an opinion on how to do things.

“I’m so happy about [the sequel,” Grazer told Collider during a recent interview in support of his new movie We Are Who We Are. “He was so fun to play. Freddy Freeman was just such a ball to play. We did a press tour and went to Miami to watch it, and I walked out of the theater saying, ‘I wanna play Freddy again.’ He’s so fun. I can’t wait. It’s really exciting. It feels so good.”

It wasn’t just Grazer. While not the kind of huge box office smash offered by The Dark Knight or Marvel’s The Avengers, Shazam! did pretty well as the first installment in a new franchise, and was the kind of smart, playful movie that encourages repeat viewing.

“I was so exhilarated to play Freddy Freeman or Captain Marvel Jr., or whatever,” Grazer said, referring to the character’s long-time superhero name which has a lot of trademark baggage attached to it. “It’s up to the viewers to decide [what he’s called]. I was so excited to do that. My whole life, I’d loved Batman, Superman, the entire Justice League, and everybody. I was really, really happy to play Freddy. And then, when it came out, it was such an awesome thing and the fans loved it.”

Of course, one bit of irony is that a sequel in which Freddy is a superhero likely means less screen time for Grazer and more screen time for Adam Brody, who plays the adult, superhero take on the character. Still, it seems Grazer (and fans) are just as happy to see what comes next, whenever the movie finally gets started.