Well, that certainly didn’t take long. Just days after its premiere, and an opening weekend that saw the film exceed box office expectations with a $56.8 million domestic haul, Shazam! already has a sequel announced. The Wrap reports that screenplay writer Henry Gayden will return for said sequel, likely joined by producer Peter Safran and director David F. Sandberg. One must also assume that stars Asher Angel and Zachary Levi—who play the two different versions of protagonist Billy Batson—must also be on board.
Much of the success of Shazam! has been attributed to Gayden’s sharp script. A relative Hollywood newcomer, the film represents his first big exposure, although the writer is also in the process of adapting forthcoming novel Last Human for Sony/Tristar, which the studio won in a bidding war. That film has been called a “reverse ET,” telling the story of a race of robots in an A.I. society who discover and care for the last surviving human child. So you know, sort of Mr. Mom, except with cyborgs.
Shazam! continues the DC Comics universe critical turnabout, following the earlier failures of Batman v Superman and Justice League. After Wonder Woman, Aquaman and now Shazam!, the shared universe finds itself on steadier footing, even if it’s not exactly in MCU territory just yet. One has to wonder, though, what the plans are for incorporating Bill Batson/Shazam into the wider DC Universe in the future. It’s a little weird to think of him fighting evil alongside Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, when he’d probably just be staring at her with his mouth slack the entire time.
We’ll bring you more information on the brewing Shazam! sequel as it arrives.