On Thursday, Levi posted an Instagram Live video to clear up confusion about Warner Bros.’ changing strategy for its future slate of projects based on DC Comics characters. In Shazam! Fury of the Gods, set for release on March 17, 2023, the actor will reprise his role as the DC hero Shazam.
Levi said he wanted to dispel any “random deceitful banter” circulating online after Dwayne Johnson said earlier this week that the recent film Black Adam would not get a sequel soon. Levi admitted that he doesn’t know what James Gunn and Safran have planned for Shazam, but he’s confident that he’s in “a pretty good position” and asked fans to “be patient and give them some space and some time to try and really make something special” with the DC Universe.
Levi said,
Up to this point, there have been quite a few DC films that may have made some fans very happy, but they’re not tapping into the larger audience. Marvel was very successful in doing that — bringing in as many people to the table, as many people that could be satiated and brought joy and all that stuff.
He further said:
If you’re out there, and you really liked what happened before, you can do that — that’s fine. But recognize there’s a lot of people that didn’t like those things, and we should always be trying to, I think, tap into as much audience as possible, making as many people as happy as possible. That’s what we’re in entertainment for, and I think that’s what Peter and James are really trying to do, and it’s not an easy position. They got handed all of these things that were already in a lot of conflict. So guys, just fucking give them a break. Take it easy. Take a breath.
Levi responded to the fan criticism against his film Shazam! (2019) by calling it a “really charming movie.” The ex-Chuck star continued by saying that the sequel is superior to the original and should do “reasonably well” at the Hollywood box office.
While he didn’t name names, it’s clear that Levi was referring to both Johnson and Henry Cavill (who reprised his role as Superman in a Black Adam cameo) when he said he wished he could collaborate with some of those who are leaving the DC world. After being informed by James Gunn and Safran that they were taking his character in a new direction, Cavill confirmed on December 14 that he would not return as the Man of Steel.
When Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3 treatment was rejected by the studio the day before Cavill’s announcement, she took to social media to express her disappointment. A key part of her letter read: there was nothing I could do to move anything forward at this time.
