Rachel Zegler says her Shazam! Fury of the Gods' character hasn't been guessed correctly yet. Director David F. Sandberg's original Shazam! movie premiered in 2019 and chronicled the tale of troubled orphan Billy Batson (Asher Angel) as he acquires the ability to transform into a full-grown superhero (Zachary Levi) after a run-in with an ancient wizard's staff. With his newfound abilities, Billy's alter-ego Shazam comes into conflict with the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana and the Seven Deadly Sins. But then his superpowered foster family comes to the rescue, and Shazam ultimately manages to overpower the Sivana and capture all the Sins. Shazam! proved to be a decent commercial and critical success for the DCEU, netting a gross total of $366 million against a budget of $80 million. With its impressive performance, Warner Bros. immediately put a sequel in development, although Shazam! 2 taking some time to arrive.
Scheduled to premiere on June 2, 2023, a full four years after the release of the first film, Shazam! 2 is poised to bring back Levi's superhero along with Angel, Dylan Grazer, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Faithe Herman, Grace Fulton, Adam Brody, D.J. Cotrona, Ross Butler, Djimon Hounsou, and Meagan Good. There are also some new cast additions, including Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, who play Hespera and Kalypso, the villainous daughters of the Greek God Atlas. In February, popular YouTuber Rachel Zegler also joined the cast, and since then, speculations have been rife about the character she is playing in the movie.
Although there have been many theories about Zegler's role in Shazam! 2, the actress says that no one has been able to guess her character correctly so far. Appearing on an Instagram Live, whose recording has been obtained courtesy of Shazam Updates, Zegler said, "Everyone thinks they do which is really funny and they're all wrong, which is why it's hilarious."
When Zegler was first announced for Shazam! 2, many believed her to be a sister of Mirren and Liu's characters, together with whom she forms the wicked trio that has been confirmed as the movie's main foil. But confusion arose when the first looks at her character were revealed from the sets, showing her in a superhero get-up. Fans became even more perplexed when subsequent BTS shots teased her romance with Grazer's Freddy. At that point, some suggested that Zegler might fake her allyship with Billy and Freddy before revealing her true colors in the climax of the movie. However, those reports remain unconfirmed, and there is still no clarity about Zegler's role.
Whether Zegler's character is good or evil or a comic book character is something that fans probably won't learn until the movie bows in cinemas. But those expecting her character to help set up the future of the DC Extended Universe shouldn't really get their hopes up as Zegler has signed up to play the lead in Disney's Snow White, meaning her availability for future projects is pretty much up in the air. That said, Shazam! 2 is due to wrap up its production soon, so hopefully there will be a few more looks at Zegler's character coming out in the next few months.
Source: Shazam Updates (via Rachel Zegler)
