Shazam! just blasted off to a better-than-projected weekend at the Box Office, so it should come as no surprise that reports are already surfacing about Warner Bros.' plans for the sequel. The Wrap reports that DC and New Line have tapped Shazam! screenwriter Henry Gayden to return and pen the script for the sequel. The report notes that David F. Sandberg and producer Peter Safran are also expected to return.

The latest superhero film in the evolving DC film universe, Shazam! is coming off a winning weekend, walking (or flying) away certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an A Cinemascore and over-performing at the box office, with $56.8 million domestic (including $3.3 million from the buzz-building previews) and $102.3 million internationally. That gives the feel-good superhero pic a worldwide total of $158.1 million, an even bigger win considering the film was produced in the mid-budget range for a reported $98 million.

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Image via Warner Bros.

The screenwriter previously penned the script for the family-friendly animated film Earth to Echo. Next up, he's adapting Lee Bacon's upcoming sci-fi novel Last Human for directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. That project was scooped up by Sony/TriStar in a bidding war and fits right in line with Gayden's previous work, mixing up family-friendly sci-fi in the tale of a robot society where a 12-year-old robot discovers a human child who's spent her life in an underground bunker, hidden away from the machines.

It will be interesting to see how Shazam! fares in the coming weeks with superhero content like Hellboy, Fast Colour, and the big one, Avengers: Endgame coming down the pike. While Endgame is sure to be a box office killer for Shazam! that still gives the film two weeks to continue to soar above and beyond its budget, so either way you cut it, Shazam! is looking good for a sequel -- especially if the creative team is coming back again.

For more on Shazam!, be sure to check out the links below:

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Image via Warner Bros.
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Image via Warner Bros.

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