2023 was a rough year for superhero movies. Both Marvel Studios and Warner Bros.' DCEU struggled to deliver movies which resonated with fans and filmgoers, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods failed to take flight when it opened last March.
Reviews were split rather than outright negative, but the movie still only grossed $134 million worldwide. It came as a shock after the success of 2019's Shazam!, and the character's future is now uncertain with DC Studios set to reboot the DCU beginning with 2025's SUPERMAN.
We were recently fortunate enough to speak with Billy Batson actor Asher Angel about his role in the edge-of-your-seat thriller, Lazareth. We'll bring you the full conversation with him, and co-star Ashley Judd, soon.
In the meantime, we have an excerpt from our conversation in which Angel addresses the Shazam! sequel's struggles, his interest in reprising the role, what was originally planned for the franchise, and his future superhero movie hopes.
Last year was a tough one for Marvel and DC. There's a lot of 'superhero fatigue' talk and Shazam! Fury of the Gods underperformed last year, unfortunately. Were you surprised to see it, and the genre, struggle?
Look, I think the superhero genre is a really hard genre. I hate when people talk about superhero fatigue. I don’t believe in that stuff. I think whatever DC or Marvel puts out there, it’s gonna resonate, but if it resonates, it resonates. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I think a lot of the time, people put so much pressure on Marvel and DC in that every movie has to be amazing. It’s a hard genre, for sure, and I’m just happy I had the opportunity to be involved in that world. It was wish fulfilment because I always wanted to be a superhero when I was a kid.
There have been some huge changes with DC. A lot of fans love Zachary Levi in the role, but just as many would love to see you play Shazam. Is that something you’d like to do in going back to the role or is it behind you?
I’d always be open to going back and playing Billy Batson. I’d never want to take Zach’s place because we’re in this together. If there any other characters out there in the future, I’d also be open to that. I’m pretty open! There’s a time and there’s place, and it’ll happen.
Were you guys ever clued in on a Shazam! 3 or crossover plans or did it never really get that far? There were a lot of regime changes in DC during your time there.
Yeah, I think we always planned on making a third one, but you have new people come in and take over and plans can change and things can shift. I guess we’ll see. We’ll see what the future holds.
I hope it comes back around for you. There’s always Marvel!
Yeah! [Laughs] Thank you.
Asher makes a compelling point about the high expectations superhero movies face (something that's evident from the endless "superhero fatigue" talk). However, it's good to know he hasn't fully closed the door on playing Billy Batson.
While Shazam! 3 isn't likely to happen, we'd be shocked if James Gunn doesn't eventually find a place for the hero in the DCU, even if a new actor is ultimately cast in the role. It would be a missed trick to not bring the DCEU's Billy back into the fold, though.
Check out the trailer for Lazareth below.
Following the death of their parents, Lee (Ashley Judd) adopts her nieces, Imogen (Katie Douglas) and Maeve (Sarah Pidgeon), and raises them in a remote cabin as a deadly pandemic rages on around them. For over 10 years, the girls are raised to never leave the woods, avoid any and all interaction with outsiders, and ultimately rely on Lee as their only connection to the outside world. Lee has convinced the girls this is the key to survival in what is now an infectious and violent world. But when Imogen and Maeve discover an injured man in the nearby woods, Lee’s absolute control begins to disintegrate as their faith in her, and everything they’ve ever known, begins to unravel.
Lazareth arrives in select theaters and on Demand on May 10, 2024.