New concept art from DC FanDome teases the inclusion of new supernatural creatures in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. David F. Sandberg's first Shazam! movie came out in 2019, becoming an instant hit among fans due to its light-hearted tone and sense of humor. The film tracked the journey of troubled orphan Billy Batson (Asher Angel) as he, after a run-in with an ancient wizard's staff, develops the ability to transform into an adult superhero (Zachary Levi). Shazam! performed decently at the box office, grossing a modest $366 million against a $80-100 million budget. The film was deemed a success and a sequel was put into development not long after.
Currently scheduled for a release on June 02, 2023, Shazam! 2 has already wrapped filming in Atlanta. During its course of production, fans were able to get hold of some pretty juicy details about the upcoming movie. For one, they know the film's main villains, goddesses Hespera and Kalypso, will be played by Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, respectively. Rachel Zegler has also been confirmed to appear in the movie, although details on her role are slim. Earlier, Sandberg teased that Shazam! 2 will be much bigger than the original movie in terms of scope. This idea was reflected effectively in the movie's BTS trailer at the DC FanDome, and now, newly revealed concept art also seems to suggest that the sequel will pull the story deeper into mythology and fantasy.
On Saturday, Shazam! 2's panel at the DC FanDome offered an exclusive look at the new mythical creatures that would appear in the movie in the form of pieces of concept art. The monsters shown include dragons, harpies, manticores, and cyclopes. These creatures will no doubt be added in with CGI, although how they would fit into the story is yet to be seen. Take a look at the images below.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods definitely seems to be spreading its wings beyond the reach of the original movie. It's not just the creatures that are new, but Shazam! 2 also visits some exciting never-seen-before spots, including the Realm of Gods, the Library of Eternity, and the city of Athens. This is presumably because the locations are in some way connected to the new villains, so viewers can expect much of the action to take place there. Additionally, it seems that the story will revolve around an ancient sword as it was emphasized a lot in the DC FanDome BTS trailer. At the moment, the implications of the weapon, locations, and creatures within the larger DCEU are unclear, but fans might learn more about them in the coming months.
Greek mythology appears to be playing a significant factor in the upcoming Shazam! sequel. The villains are, of course, Greek deities, and the Harryhausen-inspired creatures are all pulled from Greek legend and literature as well. Right now, the information is too abstract to make clear sense out of, but if all the pieces are put together, then it's possible that Shazam! 2 charts a story that leans into both superhero fare and high fantasy. There is still quite some time to go before Shazam! Fury of the Gods bows in cinemas, but until that happens, fans at least have this cool artwork to tide over.
Source: DC FanDome
