Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg recently leaked the ending of the upcoming DCEU sequel. Sandberg posted a hilarious video that shows someone running into an office and reading the last page of the film’s script.
Shazam 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to 2019’s Shazam! and is scheduled to start filming this May. Sandberg directed the original Shazam!, while Henry Gayden penned the script. The cast included Zachary Levi as Shazam, Asher Angel as the hero’s teenage alter alter-ego Billy Batson, and Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana. The seventh installment in the DCEU saw the Wizard Shazam select Batson to be his new champion. As a result, upon repeating the wizard’s name, the 14-year-old Batson instantly transformed into an adult superhero. Shazam! earned positive reviews from critics and grossed $365 million worldwide on a $100 million budget.
While DC has not released details on Shazam 2 ’s story, Sandberg jokingly leaked the film’s ending on Reddit. In the post, an unknown person enters Sandberg’s office, finds the movie’s script, and flips to the very last page. The final scene in the fake script takes place in the Hall of Justice and features Billy Batson, Freddy Freeman, Mary Bromfield, and Eugene Choi. Mary simply states, “I am Mary,” which is a play on Groot’s signature catchphrase “I am Groot” in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. The movie ends with Billy finding Batman’s cowl and saying, “I guess the real Justice was the friends we made along the way.” Sandberg is playing on the fact that Billy is a member of the Justice League in the DC comics.
Levi and Angel are returning to reprise their roles in the upcoming sequel. Meanwhile, Lucy Liu has joined Shazam 2 to portray Atlas’ daughter Kalypso. The villainous character is the sister of Hespera, who will be played by Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren. Rachel Zegler, who will next be seen in Steven Speilberg’s West Side Story, was cast in a mysterious role. Despite numerous online rumors, Henry Cavill’s Superman will not be featured in the film. Cavill was supposed to have a cameo appearance in the first film, but the Man of Steel star was unavailable at the time of the shoot.
Due to the pandemic, Shazam 2’s release date has been delayed numerous times. The film was originally slated to be released in April 2022, but it has since been pushed back to 2023. Due to the large gap between films, many fans feared that the young stars would no longer look like teenagers. Sandberg poked fun at the situation by posting photoshopped pictures of Levi and Angel with wrinkles.
The director also tweeted, "Seriously though, it doesn't mean we have to change the shooting schedule so no need to freak out about the age of the kids. You can freak out about your own age though. I'll be 42 in three years. How about that!" Clearly, Sanberg is not worried, so perhaps Shazam! fans should rest easy.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 2, 2023.
Source: u/dauid|Reddit