Shazam! Fury of the Gods is set to hit theatres on March 17, 2023, and looks to build on the success of the 2019 film Shazam! But how will this new DC film stand out from Shazam! and other movies in the DC Extended Universe? PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to Ross Butler who plays the adult superhero form of Eugene in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and he teased details of the movie.
“Oh man, I wish I could tell you more, but we’ve been having it pretty quiet,” Butler exclusively told PopCulture. “What I will say, is you’ll be able to see more of us, the adults, because obviously, in the first one we were introduced as a secret. And then we’ve added Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren to the cast. Talk about legendary Asian actor, Lucy, it was so cool to meet her. They bring such sophistication to the film that’s a comedy still. It’s a really cool mix and I’m really excited for everybody to see it.”
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods continues the story of teenage Billy Batson who is transformed into his adult superhero alter ego when he says the word “SHAZAM!” Zachary Levi stars as Shazam, and the rest of the cast includes Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Megan Good, D.J. Cotrona, Grace Caroline Currey, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Marta Milans Cooper Andrews, and Djimon Hounsou.
Butler also shared his love for playing a superhero in the DC universe. “As a kid, you never saw Asian superheroes, you only saw martial artists,” Butler said. “So for me, this role was more of a landmark. It meant a lot to me because when I was a kid playing on the playground, all the kids would choose Superman, Wolverine, all these really cool, Batman, whatever, but there was never an Asian just superhero that wasn’t a martial artist. So this was the first Asian superhero. I just shoot lightning. I’m just an American kid who turns into this superhero. That was a really big meaningful step for me. And then being in the DC Universe is awesome. I’ve been another DC character, believe it or not, Reggie on Riverdale. It’s technically DC.”
“So having two characters in the DC Universe, I’ve always just been more of a DC guy, to be completely honest with you. Marvel’s cool, but DC just feels a little bit more edgy to me. I think DC takes more risks. So being a part of the DC Universe, to me, they just have more unique stories.”
