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Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the long-awaited sequel to the 2019 DCEU film Shazam! This film once again revolves around foster kid Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who gains the ability to transform into a superhero, played by Zachary Levi, every time he says the word Shazam. With the help of his foster siblings-turned-fellow superheroes, Billy fights crime and learns to love his new family.

The first Shazam! received plenty of critical praise for being more fun and lighthearted than the previous DCEU entries, so it's no surprise Warner Bros. announced in 2019 that a sequel was in the works. Production has now wrapped on the movie, as of October 31, 2022, as confirmed by the director, so anticipation is at an all-time high. Therefore, we've created a comprehensive, easy-to-read guide that explains everything you need to know about Shazam! Fury of the Gods, including when it's being released, who's in the cast, and if another Shazam! movie will come out after this.

Editor’s Note: This piece was last updated on March 12.

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When Will Shazam! Fury of the Gods Be Released?

Shazam! Fury of the Gods was set to be released in theaters on December 21, 2022, but has since been postponed to March 17, 2023. The film was originally supposed to come out on April 1, 2022. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused this sequel to be delayed to November 4, 2022, and then to June 2, 2023. Fortunately, Warner Bros. moved Shazam! Fury of the Gods up to December 16, 2022, before pushing the movie back to December 21 of the same year, so it wouldn't compete with Avatar: The Way of Water.

Ahead of the latest date change, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav had this to say about the movie:

“We have seen The Flash, Black Adam and Shazam 2. We are very excited about them. We’ve seen them. We think they are terrific, and we think we can make them even better.”

Hopefully, there won't be any more big changes to the movie's release schedule. Interestingly enough, Shazam! Fury of the Gods will also reportedly be getting a rare release in China on the same day it's premiering in the US.

In case you can't wait until the 17th, we have some good news for you. Collider is hosting a free early IMAX screening of Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The event will also include a Q&A session with director David F. Sandberg. The screening is on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at 7 pm in Los Angeles and you can read more about it here.

Watch the Shazam! Fury of the Gods Trailer

The first trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods was unveiled at 2022's San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) and to the public on July 23 of that year. Set to an epic version of Eminem's "Business," this preview features the same whimsical tone as the first film while also highlighting new threats, which just so happen to include a dragon. Apart from the trailer, we were also treated to a fun behind-the-scenes video for the holidays, showing Marta Milans and Rachel Zegler dancing in the snow. A new Shazam teaser was released on January 13, followed by the second trailer, released on January 26. Check out the latest trailer in the player below and take a look at this article if you'd like a full trailer breakdown.

Since then, we've seen two clips from the movie, one featuring Rachel Zegler and Jack Dylan Grazer and the other featuring Zachary Levi and Ross Butler. Check them out below:

Who's In the Shazam! Fury of the Gods Cast?

In addition to Zachary Levi (Chuck) and Asher Angel (Andi Mack), much of the cast from the first Shazam! returns for the sequel. Billy's foster siblings are once again played by Jack Dylan Grazer (It), Faithe Herman (This Is Us), Ian Chen (Fresh Off the Boat), Jovan Armand (Snowfall), and Grace Caroline Currey (Annabelle: Creation), while the superhero versions of these first four characters are played by Adam Brody (The O.C.), Meagan Good (Brick), Ross Butler (Raya and the Last Dragon), and D. J. Cotrona (G.I. Joe: Retaliation). Michelle Borth (Hawaii Five-0), who played the superhero version of Currey's character in the first film, is not reprising her role for this one. Instead, Currey plays both versions of her character. Other returning actors include Djimon Hounsou (Guardians of the Galaxy), Marta Milans (High Maintenance), and Cooper Andrews (The Walking Dead).

This movie also introduces new characters played by Helen Mirren (The Queen), Lucy Liu (Kill Bill: Vol. 1), and Rachel Zegler (West Side Story).

Related:'Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ Heroic Soundtrack Released Ahead of Film's Premiere

Who Are the New Characters in Shazam! Fury of the Gods?

Anthea raising her arms and using her power in Shazam Fury of the Gods
Image via Warner Bros

Even though Shazam! Fury of the Gods doesn't include many new characters, they are still worth discussing. If you want to learn more about these additions to the cast, this info is what we can gather on them from trailers and interviews:

Helen Mirren plays Hespera, the first daughter of the Altas, who was an omnipotent otherworldly being known as a Titan and gave Shazam his stamina. Although Hespera doesn't have a comic book counterpart, she is inspired by characters from Greek mythology called Hesperides. These beings are nymphs, mythical spirits of nature who take the form of beautiful women. Hesperides are nymphs of evenings and sunsets and children of Atlas known for protecting a garden with a golden apple tree, alternating between helping people who stumble upon this garden and manipulating them. However, the Hesperide in Shazam! Fury of the Gods is definitely a villain.

Lucy Liu plays Kalypso, another daughter of Atlas. Much like her older sister, Kalypso isn't based on any pre-existing characters from DC Comics, but she is based on a pre-existing character from Greek mythology named Calypso. In Homer's Odyssey, Calypso is a nymph and child of Atlas who protects the island of Ogygia. After Odysseus is marooned on Ogygia, Calypso falls in love with him and keeps him there for seven years. Odysseus later prays to the gods for help and in return, they make Calypso free him from her grasp. In Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Kalypso is also a villain and even though the first trailer doesn't show her enchanting her foes with song and dance like in the Odyssey, she does grow giant vines in a stadium.

Rachel Zegler plays Anthea, the youngest daughter of Atlas. Similar to her sister, Anthea is not adapted from DC Comics but rather from Greek mythology. In the latter, she is a princess of the Greek city Thespiae who has a son with Hercules. In Shazam! Fury of the Gods, however, Anthea is not a mortal but rather a Titan. The first trailer also shows Anthea next to Grazer's Freddy Freeman, both screaming at the dragon that's coming towards them, so maybe she switches sides at some point in the film.

Related:'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' Director Teases Billy's Growth in the Sequel

What Is Shazam! Fury of the Gods About (And What's the Rating)?

shazam-fury-of-the-gods-helen-mirren-lucy-liu
Image via Warner Bros.

As of this writing, Warner Bros. has not revealed an official plot synopsis for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, so we'll try to figure out the film's story based on what's shown in the first trailer.

This sequel likely starts with Billy feeling unsure about if he's a good enough superhero. Not to mention his superpowered siblings are doing their own things and he's having trouble keeping them in check. However, Djimon Hounsou's Wizard character, who in the first movie gave Billy powers before turning into dust, eventually warns him that the Daughters of Atlas are coming for him.

Believing that children stole the powers of gods, the sisters rebuild the Wizard's power-transferring staff that Billy broke in the first movie and will probably use it to take back these powers from the Shazam Family. That's all we know for now but the movie for sure has more surprises not seen in the trailers.

As for the rating, we now have confirmation that the Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be rated PG-13 for “sequences of action and violence, and language."

How Long Is Shazam! Fury of the Gods?

We at Collider have learned that Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be just a few minutes shorter than its predecessor, with a runtime of 130 minutes (or 2 hours and 10 minutes).

Will There Be a Third Shazam! Movie?

A third Shazam! movie has yet to be announced, but that doesn't mean we can't predict where the series could go after the second film.

The Wizard's previous champion, Black Adam, is played by Dwayne Johnson in a solo movie that came out a few months before Shazam! Fury of the Gods. In the comics, Black Adam is a villain/anti-hero who often butts heads with Shazam. David F. Sandberg, who directed both Shazam! movies, teased on Instagram that Black Adam could make an appearance in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, so maybe he'll appear in a post-credits scene teasing an epic brawl between him and Shazam in the latter's third movie?

There's also Mark Strong's Dr. Sivana. To recap, the first film's mid-credits scene shows a powerless Sivana imprisoned and trying to reenter Shazam's lair, the Rock of Eternity, when he meets a talking worm who calls for a partnership. Many comic readers will know this talking worm as none other than Mister Mind, a telekinetic villain and one of Shazam's oldest foes. As for Sivana, many comic storylines have him revive Black Adam but the latter's solo film already sees him revived in the modern day. That said, Shazam! 3 could have Sivana and Mr. Mind manipulating Black Adam into killing Shazam, but then the two champions team up to take down Sivana and Mr. Mind. We'll just have to wait and find out.

After James Gunn and Peter Safran were hired as the heads of DC Studios recently, there's been a lot of changes in the DCEU and a few fans were worried that this could lead to Shazam being recast or the franchise being rebooted. However, Zachary Levi has since confirmed that there's no truth to the recasting rumors so fans can expect the actor to put on the sparkly red suit in the third movie as well, if it's being made.