About 
Mike Flanagan ("Haunting" series, Midnight Mass) on working with casting "grids" for projects like Carrie, The Exorcist, and The Dark Tower.
Posted in: Movies, Shazam, Warner Bros | Tagged: dc, film, shazam, Warner Bros, zachary levi
Shazam! Star Talks About the Hero's "Immaturity" in the DC Sequel
Shazam's Zachary Levi is explaining why he opted to lean into the character's immaturity in the DC sequel film.
Article Summary
- Zachary Levi discusses Shazam's "immaturity" in DC sequel.
- Shazam criticized for childlike behavior despite being 18.
- "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" marks end of current film series.
- Levi aimed to reflect Shazam's growth from 15 to almost 18.
At one point in time, we were looking at a large roster of DC's cinematic heroes, including the already-revealed Justice League lineup, along with the eventual integration of characters like Shazam, Black Adam, and Blue Beetle each poised to make overarching franchise opportunities. However, as you already know, things have shifted mainly since DC's now going with a highly-anticipated relaunch that's planning everything long-term.
Though even before we knew a full reboot was coming, Shazam! Fury of the Gods (the sequel and final chapter of the Shazam film series) was already plagued with various criticisms from fans and critics. One of those criticisms? The almost childlike demeanor of the 18-year-old hero in his superpowered form.
Zachary Levi Explains the Zany "Immaturity" of Shazam in Shazam! Fury of the Gods
During a recent conversation with Screen Rant, Shazam! star Zachary Levi took the time to respond to criticisms surrounding the characterization of the titular hero in the second film, telling the site, "From the first movie to the second [Shazam!], I tried to age him as Billy ages, you know, in his actual younger teen form. Inside, he's aging, too. Obviously, in the first film, he was like 15, and in the second he's 17ish, almost 18. So I tried to address that and bring that into the character, which ironically, in some ways, kind of made him feel almost a little more immature. But that's because when he's 15, he's not trying to be cool guy; when he's 17, he's trying to be cool guy, he's trying to be the leader, and he's trying to kind of put on that bravado more."
Now that we know the hero (along with every other DC character) will essentially get the reboot treatment at one point, what kind of Shazam stories do you think are worth telling in live-action form?
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!
