‘Shazam!’ Sequel Enlists Helen Mirren as Villain
The Oscar-winning actor will play Hespera.
Helen Mirren is joining the DC Extended Universe forShazam! Fury of the Gods. Mirren will play the villain Hespera, the daughter of Atlas, in the sequel to 2019’s Shazam! from New Line and Warner Bros.
Mirren joins fellow franchisenewcomer Rachel Zegler, the star of Steven Spielberg’s upcomingWest Side Story. Sources say Mirren and Zegler will play sisters who both may or may not be of ill intent. TheShazam! sequel once again stars Zachary Levi as the adult version of teenager Billy Batson (Asher Angel) who transforms into a superhero.
David F. Sandberg returns to direct from a script by Henry Gayden, with Peter Safran producing through The Safran Company. The firstShazam! opened in April 2019 and earned $366 million globally. In addition toFury of the Gods, New Line is developing Black Adam, starring Dwayne Johnson as the classic Shazam! antagonist.
Mirren has been nominated for four Oscars, winning one for 2006’sThe Queen. She has also delved into franchise filmmaking before with the comic book seriesRED 2 as well asThe Fast and Furious franchise, in which she plays the mother to Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw. Coming up, she will reprise that role for Universal’s F9, and also stars in the upcoming Amazon anthology seriesSolos.
Miren is repped by CAA.
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