Despite Superman being recast and Gunn no longer moving forward with Black Adam, Levi thinks Shazam is safe from sharing the same fate in the DC Universe. It is still to be determined whether this will be a full reboot or if James Gunn is picking and choosing who will stay, but with Levi’s Shazam! sequel on the horizon, the actor may have thought it’s best to come out in support of the new regime.
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In a 12-minute Instagram Live video, Levi dedicated a portion to discussing the upcoming Shazam! sequel and offered advice for “haters” of the new DC Studios restructure. The actor prefaced his advice by stating that there are “blatant lies” being spread, but Levi does not elaborate further or give any examples of the falsities being shared. He also expresses that he doesn’t know what the future of DC holds but that he is a huge supporter of Walter Hamada, former DC Studios President, and seems to use him as an example of why he also believes Gunn and Peter Safran will be successful. Walter Hamada is controversial among the fan base for not having confidence in the success of Joker, which transpired to WB losing money on the billion-dollar success by splitting costs, dismissing toxic work environment allegations, and being actively against releasing Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Levi further suggests Gunn’s potential by citing Guardians of the Galaxy and what he describes as the better Suicide Squad film contrasted to David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, although Ayer has gone on record stating that the released version is not his cut of the film. The hashtag “Release The Ayer Cut” was trending following the Instagram video for fans hoping to see the director’s true version of Suicide Squad. Similar to what happened with the theatrical release of Justice League, Zack Snyder is hopeful to see the Ayer Cut as well.
Levi’s advice for fans was to wait and see what Safran and Gunn do before criticizing. However, fan criticisms seem to revolve around what has already been announced, such as the dismissal of actors, evidence of a reboot in the middle of ongoing storylines, and how Gunn has been handling these affairs on social media. Another point of contention for fans is that a Crisis Event is needed for a reboot to make sense within the context of the DCU. As a result, fans will want to pay attention to The Flash’s official trailer in hopes of it panning out.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is scheduled to premiere in theaters on March 17, 2023.
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Source: Zachary Levi/Instagram
