Things may finally be settling down in the DC movie-verse under new DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran, but the next new DC film was put together before they took over: Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the sequel to one of the DCEU's better movies.

　　Fury of the Gods is in a bit of an awkward spot, arriving after months of drama about Henry Cavill's status as Superman (he no longer has any) and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's reported failed attempt to turn Black Adam into a centerpiece of the DCEU. Both of those stories affect Shazamto whom Shazam has a similar level of power--was mentioned over and over again in the first Shazam! flick before making a brief, head-out-of-frame cameo at the end.

　　As it is, Shazam! Fury of the Gods exists in a sort of limbo. The film certainly wasn't built as part of Gunn's and Safran's vision for the franchise, since it was filmed well before they took charge. And whatever big picture plan the DCEU had when the movie was shot no longer exists with Gunn and Safran taking over.

　　But the first Shazam! movie successfully won our hearts back in 2019, when the DCEU was in even tougher straits. And with director David F. Sandberg once again at the helm there's no question they could do it again. But there are never any guarantees in this business, and there are even fewer than usual in a post-COVID world.

　　While Shazam! Fury of the Gods could end up being a lot of different things, here's what we actually know about it right now.

　　

When is Shazam! Fury of the Gods coming out?

The second Shazam! movie is currently scheduled for March 17, after a couple years of calendar-hopping. You can watch the trailer here.

　　It had previously been delayed twice to June 2, 2023, before being moved up to December 2022 and then eventually being moved back to March 17, 2023. This date has been in place since August, so it's unlikely to be moved again at this point. But never say never.

　　What is Shazam! Fury of the Gods about?

　　In order to defeat Dr. Sivana at the end of the first movie, Billy Batson/Shazam shared his powers with his foster siblings, who then also transformed into adult superheroes. Now, they all still have those powers, and a trio of ancient beings known as the Daughters of Atlas (Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler) isn't overly happy that these kids are wielding the power of the gods however they want.

　　And they're coming to reclaim that power by whatever means necessary. Even, apparently, if that means destroying the world.

　　

Will Dr. Sivana and the creepy Mister Mind have a part to play?

No, actor Mark Strong, who played Sivana (pictured) in the last movie, has said he wasn't involved in this one. So add that post-credits scene from the first Shazam! to the list of DC sequel teases that didn't end up happening--for now, anyway.

　　

So who from the first Shazam! is coming back for Fury of the Gods?

Everybody who was in the Shazam! Family in the first movie is back for this one, save for one. So Zachary Levi and Asher Angel as the older and younger versions of Billy Batson, Adam Brody and the hilarious Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy, Meagan Good and Faither Herman as the scene-stealing Darla, DJ Cotrona and Jovan Armand as Pedro, and Ross Butler and Ian Chen as Eugene.

　　The one exception is actress Michelle Borth, who played the adult superhero version of Mary Bromfield. Grace Fulton Currey, who played the younger, non-superized version of Mary in the first film, is handling both forms this time since the character is an adult in her 20s at this point.

　　The foster parents, played by Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews, will also be back. As will Djimon Hounsou's ancient wizard.

　　

Who are these "Daughters of Atlas" that Shazam! and pals will be facing?

The "Daughters of Atlas" are not a group of baddies that originate from the DC Comics, at least not like this. Hespera and Kalypso (Mirren and Liu), who look like the prime villains in the trailer, don't have any direct counterparts in DC Comics lore. But Athena, the third sister who is much younger-looking and is seen wearing normal clothes in the trailer, does come from DC--she literally created Wonder Woman out of clay.

　　Atlas himself is also the name of a number of different characters from DC lore, none of whom cleanly fit this storyline.

　　We could speculate all day about why they're seemingly inventing brand-new villains here, but ultimately we know nothing. But the Wonder Woman connection is hard to ignore.

　　

Will Shazam! Fury of the Gods connect to any other parts of the DCEU?

The potential Wonder Woman connection is there, but it's probably not safe to assume the movie will actually use it. Because there's a new regime at the top of DC Studios, and this film was made before they became the new bosses, the best bet is that Shazam! 2 will be a standalone experience that never explicitly references anything else that's happened in any other DC movie except for the first Shazam! film.

　　But don't count out the possibility that they could have very recently put together some kind of tease for the end of the film that reflects the current long-term plan. And they do have another Aquaman movie that's supposedly pretty much in the can aside from some visual fx work, so a tease specifically for that, like a trailer after the credits, is also a distinct possibility. But crossover stuff, while not impossible, doesn't seem extremely likely.

　　Phil Owen on Google+