Following in the wake of Wonder Woman and Aquaman, it’s not long until Zachary Levi enters the DC Extended Universe. He'll play Shazam, the bulked-up adult alter-ego of Philly foster kid Billy Batson, in a superhero film that seems to be putting laughs front and centre.
But before Shazam! found Levi playing in the DC sandbox, he had a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing Fandral – one of the Warriors Three – in Thor: The Dark World and very briefly in Thor: Ragnarok. Despite the trio featuring regularly in the comics, the characters were relegated to smaller roles in the films, and were brutally dispatched by the malevolent Hela in the opening act of Ragnarok. Fair to say, it wasn’t exactly what Levi hoped for from his role in a massive comic book franchise.
“I just don’t think those characters were quite utilised to the best of their abilities,” he tells Empire in the April 2019 issue. “Thor and the Warriors Three could have been a really cool little trilogy of team movies, and we didn’t really have that much impact. Particularly not in Ragnarok – I mean, I didn’t even have a line.”
Still, his prompt dispatching in Taika Waititi’s film did mean the actor was free to take the titular role in Shazam! – a fresh start in the comic book movie realm, in a role that leans into his comedy instincts. And if all goes well, he could be in for more screen time in the future. “I hope I get to be part of the Justice League,” he says of his hopes for Shazam’s continuation. “At San Diego, Jason Momoa quite literally took me under his wing, put his arm around me and was like, ‘Welcome to the family.’”
Read more about Shazam! – including on-set interviews, and exclusive new images – in the Game Of Thrones* issue of *Empire, hitting newsstands on Thursday 21 February. Order a copy of the issue online here{
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