Helen Mirren has signed on to play the villain Hespera in Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, the 2019 Warner Bros./DC Comics hit. This character is described as a daughter of Atlas and does not appear to be an existing DC Comics character. Atlas is a Titan from Greek mythology and is one of the entities that bestows his powers upon Shazam, the teenage boy who mystically turns into an adult superhero. Does she perhaps believe that the stamina of Atlas rightly belongs to her? Probably.
Mirren is kind of a legend, so I’m not sure I need to list her credits, but among her honors was winning an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her leading role in The Queen. She was also Oscar-nominated for her roles in The Madness of King George, Gosford Park, and The Last Station, and she co-starred in Red and Red 2, which are not superhero movies, but were based on comic books.
Zachary Levi is confirmed to be returned to play the adult Shazam. In February, it was reported that Rachel Zegler had been cast in an undisclosed role. Also returning are director David F. Sandberg, writer Henry Gayden, producer Peter Safran and his The Safran Company.
Levi is the only cast member confirmed to be returning for the sequel. The first film also starred Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, Ethan Pugiotto as young Thaddeus, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Adam Brody as adult Freddy, Djimon Hounsou as the wizard Shazam, Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, Meagan Good as adult Darla, Grace Fulton as Mary Bromfield, Michelle Borth as adult Mary, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Ross Butler as adult Eugene, Jovan Armand as Pedro Peña, D. J. Cotrona as adult Pedro, Marta Milans as Rosa Vasquez, and Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez.
There is also a tie-in movie in development, Black Adam, focusing on a classic Shazam! villain/anti-hero. That picture is being directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and stars Dwayne Johnson in the title role. Black Adam also stars Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom-Smasher, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Sarah Shahi in an undisclosed role that is probably Isis, and Marwan Kenzari, also in an undisclosed role.
Check back for updates on Shazam! and Black Adam as they arrive!
Source: Deadline
