James Gunn’s DC reboot has been the most controversial topic of the month for DC fans. The reboot is expected to give DCU a fresh start and a whole new cinematic universe for DC characters. However, fans are not ready to leave some of their favorite DC characters that have already been introduced via previous films. One of these characters includes Zachary Levi’s Shazam. The 2019 film introduced the DC superhero in the seventh installment under DCEU. Although Shazam! had a great head start, the film became the lowest-performing DCEU title.
Despite performing lower than expected at the box office, Shazam! received praise for its story, and casts’ performance and the studio announced a sequel, which will release in 2023. However, after Henry Cavill departed from DCU, people started guessing that the Shazam! star would be next on the list.
Zachary Levi’s Shazam Will Reportedly Not Continue in the DCU
Although nothing at this point comes unexpected to DC fans, they can’t help but feel disappointed in James Gunn and Peter Safran. Followed by Henry Cavill’s departure and rumors regarding Justice League’s recasting, many insiders have claimed that the studio is planning to fire Zachary Levi as Shazam from DCU.
The 2019 film Shazam! was the seventh installment under DCEU, and considering its ties with the DC Extended Universe, James Gunn might cancel the film series after the release of Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
While neither Warner Bros. nor James Gunn has confirmed the news, fans are devastated by the thought of losing Shazam to the new DCU plan.
One of the reasons to end the film series could be the box office performance of the 2019 film. If that is the issue, the studio could consider continuing the film series if the sequel performs well at the box office.
However, it would still be hard to fit the franchise in the new DCU. Rumors also claim that as Jason Momoa is being considered to portray Lobo in the new DCU, Zachary Levi would also get cast as another character in the future.
Zachary Levi is Confident About His DCU Journey
As rumors started that the new CEO of DC Studios would probably recast Zachary Levi’s Shazam, fans have been anxious about losing another favorite DC character to the reboot. However, the Shazam actor has something else to say when it comes to his recasting.
While discussing if the Remember Sunday star will get recast, one Twitter user said, “I want this not to be true because his Shazam is the ONE thing in the DCEU I would absolutely throw hands for to protect. @ZacharyLevi is perfection.”
However, Levi was not able to see his fans continue to worry about his future in the DCU. He replied to the Twitter user saying, “Oooh, I really wouldn’t go believing everything you see on the internet. I’m Gucci, Ash. We all Gucci.”
This is not the first time The Mauritanian star has shared that he hopes to continue to portray Shazam. Earlier this month, he talked about his future in the DCU at the 2022 Comic Con Portugal. The Blood Fest star said that he hopes the CEO has plans for Shazam’s future in the DCU.
The Suicide Squad director has not revealed his DCU plan. However, considering that Zachary Levi is among some of the loved characters in DC, Shazam! could be an exception for new CEOs.
Peter Safran, the co-CEO and co-chair of DC Studios is also the producer of the Shazam franchise, which could serve as an advantage for Levi. The DC Studios is expected to release its new plan in the next few months.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods will release on 17 March 2023.
Source: Twitter
