Shazam! Fury of the Gods BTS trailer reveals the first look at Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu's villains in costume. Mirren plays Hespera, while Liu plays Kalypso, who are both daughters of the Greek God Atlas. Neither character has been featured in the Shazam! comics, so their origins as they pertain to the DCEU are unknown at this time. The actresses join Zachary Levi, once again playing Shazam, as well Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Meagan Good, Adam Brody, Grace Fulton, DJ Cotrona, Ross Butler, Rachel Zegler, and Marta Milans.
David F. Sandberg once again directs from a script by Henry Gayden, which follows the story of Billy Batson, a teenage boy who is chosen to become the next Shazam! champion, a superhero tasked with fighting off the forces of evil and who goes from boy-to-superhero by yelling the words "Shazam!" The villain in the first film was Dr. Sivana, played by Mark Strong, who was captured at the end of the film, leaving his presence as a viable threat in Shazam's world. For Mirren and Liu, this marks their first foray into the superhero genre.
Today, a new Shazam! Fury of the Gods behind-the-scenes video was shown at DC FanDome, which gave fans a very close look at both Mirren and Liu in costume as their respective villain characters. Both look decked out as Greek Gods, wearing ornate armor and accessories that give them a strong, formidable appearance. In the BTS video, both actresses are shown in action, using their powers to cause mass destruction and looking to be every bit a threat to Shazam! and his team of foster kids turned superheroes. Check out the first-look images below for a closer look:
Mirren is a classically trained actress who has been working steadily in Hollywood since the late 60s, while Liu has paved her way to stardom from TV to film since the early 90s. Mirren recently starred in F9 with Vin Diesel, while Liu has been making the rounds in the TV series Elementary and the recent indie film Stage Mother. Liu is best-known for her work in the Charlie's Angels franchise and as O-Ren Ishii in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2.
Since both characters don't have strong roots in the comics, both Liu and Mirren have the unique opportunity to create something fresh out of their villain characters. Since Shazam! trades heavily on mythological themes, the characters seem like a good fit for the sequel, although their motives and purpose are unknown at this time. Still, both Liu and Mirren are established actors and have proven time and again in the past that they can handle whatever is put in front of them, even if it's a lot of green screen and flash costumes that end up equaling a massive, big-budget superhero film. Shazam! Fury of the Gods flies into theaters on June 2, 2023.
Source: DC FanDome
