Zachary Levi Cryptically Weighs In On The Rock's Reported Meddling With Shazam 2's Post-Credits Scene
Now that "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" has debuted to some poor box-office numbers, only bringing in just shy of $32 million domestically and a worldwide total of $66 million in the first weekend, we are now getting some more information about the possible behind-the-scenes happenings. Of course, the studio is wise to keep the majority of this under wraps to retain interest in the film.
When James Gunn announced the new direction of his and Peter Safran's DC Universe as a complete reset, there were some questions about the other characters. The drama that has unfolded around Dwayne Johnson and his separation from his Black Adam passion project has been well documented. Still, according to reports, he played a significant part in much of the stumbling that both his and Zachary Levi's latest films experienced.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director David F. Sandberg alluded to the fact that there were supposed to be some characters from Black Adam that were to appear in "Shazam." "So there were supposed to be characters from [Black Adam's] Justice Society, but that fell apart three days before we were going to roll cameras. I was really upset because we had built that abandoned gas station set, and we could only shoot that scene in that little piece of forest." On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Zachary Levi weighed in himself by reposting a story by The Wrap on Instagram that revealed Dwayne Johnson was the reason those appearances didn't happen with a simple: "The truth shall set you free."
Zachary Levi expresses more gratitude than anger
There are many reasons why "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" isn't doing as well as it could be, but it isn't from a lack of passion. Zachary Levi took to his Instagram with a post that expressed an immense amount of gratitude for his time as the character. In a photo that shows him standing in front of a Times Square advertisement, he reaches out to the fans to give thanks.
"As I tie a bow on my last bits of press on the 'Shazam Yes 2er!' here in NYC, I'm feelin all the feels. Excitement, for the world to finally see what we all had so much fun creating. Anxiousness, not knowing how said world will receive it. Pride, knowing that I busted my hump to make this thing the best it can be. Frustration, knowing there are people out there who purposefully want us to fail. Joy, hearing all the incredibly kind things folks are already saying about it. Exhaustion, winding down from a month of full send publicity. And last, but absolutely most, gratitude."
Of course, Levi's future in the franchise is up in the air, and replacing the would-be Black Adam characters with characters from the "Peacemaker" TV show could give a little hope that his Shazam will connect with the new James Gunn franchise; there is nothing set in stone. With the possibility that his time is over as the character, it certainly feels like a goodbye. Now that more information is coming out about Dwayne Johnson's alleged unwillingness to work with the other installments in the DCEU, with or without James Gunn's reboot, the whole franchise may have been dead in the water regardless.