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RACHEL ZEGLER IS ANTHEA R ACHEL ZE GLE R

How do you prepare to play a god?

The funny thing is there’s no guidebook. There’s no "How to Play a God for Dummies"! And I didn’t really know who I was playing while I was auditioning. When I got the phone call from David Sandberg, I thought he was my GrubHub delivery driver. I answered after one ring. And he said that’s the fastest anyone’s ever answered the phone.

What was it like to work alongside Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu to craft the goddesses?

They were the loveliest women to work with. It’s one of those things where you’re really hoping that they’re going to be that, and you kind of put this pressure unknowingly on the relationship to be like, “I just hope you’re everything that I want you to be.” And they check every box in their own wonderful way. It’s really a rare thing to get to come to work and work with only women for the day. And we had a couple of days like that, just the three of us, which was really amazing. It’s really eye-opening. And then it became this beautiful sisterhood.

Can you share a little about Anthea and her relationship with her sisters as they embark on their mission to reclaim their powers?

They’re completely justified in their anger. And the funny thing is that each daughter kind of takes it to a different level. I think in Kalypso’s case, she’s probably the angriest. And she’s also the middle child. I don’t even know if [scriptwriter] Henry Gayden meant to give us young child, middle child, oldest child syndromes, but it was amazing. Hespera is the oldest and her anger is much more grounded and philosophical. And Anthea’s just like, “Sure, they did this and we have a plan and that’s great. But I just met this Freddy kid. He seems really nice.” the world is,” Sandberg says. “He’s not the only superhero in the [DCU]. So what’s his role? What’s his worth?”

That also comes with a newfound fear of losing the thing that he values the most. “He’s finally found a family, which is what he was searching for his whole life, and he’s terrified of letting go. He wants them to do everything together,” Sandberg says. “He’s holding on very tightly.”

That family dynamic is one of the highlights of Shazam!, which ended with the newly monikered Shazamily made up of Billy and his superpowered foster siblings. Billy sharing his powers was an electric sequence that led to an epic final battle, and Sandberg was eager to explore their next evolution in the sequel. “In the last movie, it was just that one moment. Now we get to see more: how they all work together, how they are as a team. Now, they’re all superheroes, they’ve been superheroes for a while, and they’re trying to do their best to be superheroes. But just like Shazam didn’t have a manual, they don’t have one either. And they haven’t really had a big challenge yet.”

That challenge comes in the form of the film’s antagonists, who were created for Fury of the Gods. The three Daughters of Atlas, played by Hollywood icons Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and West Side Story breakout star Rachel Zegler, are ancient deities who are furious that Shazam and his siblings stole the powers of the gods. It’s an inventive choice and one that strays from the character’s comic-book canon. To Sandberg, though, it was a logical choice. “If those powers came from these gods, what if they were actually taken from them? They didn’t want to give up their powers, and now they’re coming to Earth to take their powers back, and they’re pissed off about it.”

Levi feels the same way about the new antagonists, highlighting his excitement at the goddesses’ arrival. “It’s a really great take because you’re tying into what is very prevalent in Shazam’s lineage and canon. I think it just served the story so well... it was the perfect way to go.” The actor was also keen to gush about his legendary new co-stars and what they bring to Fury of the Gods. “I think that any time you can get Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu to come in and be the badass lady bosses kicking ass and taking names, then you’re in for a treat. They’re both fantastic.”

In Sandberg’s words, it was nothing less than “a dream come true” to work with the trio who brought the goddesses to life. They’re not the only mythical beings in the sequel either, as the director teases that the film will feature many fantastical creatures, including minotaurs, harpies, and a Ray Harryhauseninspired cyclops. That juxtaposition of the magical and the mundanity of real-world Philadelphia was key to the tone but never posed a challenge to Sandberg. “It wasn’t really like, ‘Oh, it has to be like it’s part of our world.’ They just had to feel cool.”

The beasts also had to feel scary. Sandberg cut his teeth on horror flicks such as Annabelle: Creation and Lights Out before entering the DC pantheon. He used that experience to bring a very specific and effective blend of fear and fun to the first film, and he promises that the sequel will continue that thread. “When I was a kid, I loved seeing things that had that edge to them or had a little bit of danger. I love Raiders of the Lost Ark, faces melting off… I love that stuff. So to me, when you bring that little bit of scariness and edge to it, it makes the danger feel more real.”

Those unexpected tonal shifts are a large part of what made the first Shazam! feel so special. Combining the heart of a family film with the epic scope of superheroes and the spookiness of classics like Gremlins and The Dark Crystal, it immediately stood out among its DC peers. So does that give the crew more freedom to tell a different kind of story? “I think so,” Sandberg says, “to a certain degree. That’s what I love about Shazam, that wish fulfillment you can’t do with any other character.”

To the man who plays Shazam, that tonal difference reminds him of another famed costumed crusader. “I’ve always believed that we’re kind of like the Deadpool of DC,” Levi says. “Not in the same tone exactly. But we are afforded an irreverence, a naivete, this kind of on-the-outside-looking-in perspective where we can almost have a commentary on our world that other movies in our universe don’t really have. They’re more earnest, they’re more serious, they’re darker, and we are not that. So we get to be a little sillier sometimes. And I think that leads to a lot of really fun options and possibilities when you’re doing more stories.”

In Fury of the Gods, though, Billy has to make some tough decisions. While Sandberg “wouldn’t say he goes dark,” the director does tease that “he has to make some real sacrifices to protect not just his family but the world.” That more serious conflict allowed him to present a new side of Billy as he embarked on the second movie. “I wanted to have at least some moments where he comes off as kind of badass, especially towards the end.”

So, what’s next for Shazam? Well, after the arrival of Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam in 2022, many are wondering if Shazam will ever face down (or team up with) his most famous foe, Levi among them. “That’s all way above my pay grade,” he laughs. “I was trying to get the same answer.” Acknowledging that The Rock is a very busy man, Levi is full of kind words about the previous Warner Bros. leadership under Walter Hamada, as well as being incredibly excited for what’s to come. “As fate would have it, we have two new excellent leaders in James Gunn and Peter Safran. They’re both friends of mine who I trust very deeply, and I know that they are concocting some really cool plans. I don’t know what they are, but I will trust wherever they want to take us.”

And when it comes to whether he has long-term hopes and plans for the character at the center of the film, Levi is realistic. “There’s definitely little ideas here and there that I brought up in the past. I’m sure I’m gonna sit down with James and Peter soon enough, and we’ll talk about what we think the trajectory of all this will be. The success of the second movie will determine a lot.”

If Fury of the Gods does succeed, then Levi says, “It’s just a matter of just trying to figure out what we can do to keep making good material that includes Shazam, staying true to the character and doing right by our fan base and all the people who have supported the comic and the character for coming up on a century. There are all manner of different things that can be done.” And that’s where Levi shares a glimpse of a dream Shazam project. “Kingdom Come would be amazing,” he says.

The iconic story by Mark Waid and Alex Ross is one that comics fans most want to see adapted. Levi understands its power and the fan fervor for a movie version. “It’s a great story. I think it’s something that fans would devour.”

Shazam! Fury of the Gods opens in theaters on March 17

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