Shazam! star Zachary Levi weighs in on DC's future plans: 'Be patient'

Zachary Levi's Shazam has the power of flight, super strength, and shooting down online rumors.

In an Instagram video Thursday, the actor denied rumors that the future of his superhero franchise is in danger amidst DC Studios' recent restructuring. He also defended new DC co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran, urging fans to "be patient and give them some space and time to try and really make something special, something that I think DC deserves to have."

"Those guys are not just making decisions because they like someone or don't like someone," Levi explained. "They're making decisions based on what is best for Warner Bros., DC, and that entire studio and entity. They're trying to make as many fans happy as they can."

Steve Wilkie/© DC Comics Zachary Levi in 'Shazam!'

Producer Safran and director Gunn recently took over as co-chairs of the studio and have announced several changes — including the news that Gunn is writing a new Superman film without current actor Henry Cavill. The news came as a shock to many fans, especially since Cavill recently appeared in an end-credits cameo in Black Adam and posted an Instagram video telling fans he was "back." Dwayne Johnson, who plays Black Adam, also revealed that he recently met with Gunn and his character will not be in the "first chapter" of DC's plans, but he could possibly return in the future.

In the meantime, DC's next release is Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which will see Levi return as teenager-turned-superhero Billy Batson. The film is scheduled to hit theaters March 17, 2023, and Levi reiterated that the sequel is in no danger of cancellation.

"It's even better than the first one, and the first one was really f---ing good," Levi told fans. "I think you're really going to enjoy the next Shazam, Fury of the Gods. I really think you are. I hope that that's reflected in the box office as well, and I hope we do even better than we did the first time. And hopefully, this does enough to silence or at least quiet the haters that are out there, who so purposefully want to be hateful about I think a really charming movie, and a charming branch of what DC is. I understand that we're not as dark and as brooding as a lot of the other titles have been, and we weren't supposed to be."

Levi added that he wanted to take to Instagram to set the record straight and "help cut through all of the random, deceitful banter that just keeps going around and around." He also repeatedly praised both Gunn and Safran, adding that as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, Gunn "understands how to do right by the canon and also by the characters and the audience."

The actor reiterated that he loves playing the character of Shazam and will continue to "do that as long as I'm given the opportunity to."

"I have no idea what's ultimately going to happen to me," Levi added. "I think I'm in a pretty good position. I think we made a pretty great movie, and I think it's going to do reasonably well. I hope so! But again, regardless of that, if they decide at some point [to recast me], then them's the breaks. That's how it goes."

Original Shazam! director David F. Sandberg is back to direct Fury of the Gods, which also stars Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler as the villainous Daughters of Atlas. The cast also includes Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, and Djimon Hounsou.

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