Zachary Levi Addresses 'Shazam' Future at DC Amid Studio Changes

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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Speaks Out About Black Adam's Future in DC Movies: Everything to Know

A change of plans. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shared "a long-awaited Black Adam update regarding the character's future in the DC Universe" just two months after his first film hit theaters — and it's not exactly good news. “James Gunn and I connected and, Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling,” the Red Notice star, 50, wrote in a lengthy statement via Instagram on Tuesday, December 20. “However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.” Gunn, 56, and Peter Safran were named the new co-chairmen and chief executive officers of DC Studios in late October. In recent weeks, they've made it clear that there will be changes to the DCU. Those changes don't seem to include Black Adam 2 — at least not right away. “James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed,” Johnson added. “It’s no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and WIN BIG.” The Teremana Tequila founder continued: "You guys know me and I have very thick skin — and you can always count on me to be direct with my words. These decisions made by James and DC leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens. After 15 years of relentless hard work to finally make Black Adam with tremendous gratitude, humility and love. We did great." Gunn retweeted Johnson's statement, adding, “Love @TheRock & I’m always excited to see what he & Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to collaborate soon.” Black Adam followed Johnson's titular character who has godly powers. He was imprisoned for 5,000 years and returns to seek revenge. The film earned $391 million at the box office worldwide. However, some reports claimed Black Adam needed to earn $600 million to break even after marketing costs. Johnson took to Twitter on December 7 to state that the film is expected to turn a profit. "Waited to confirm with financiers before I shared this excellent #BlackAdam news - our film will PROFIT between $52M-$72M. Fact. At almost $400M worldwide we are building our new franchise step by step (first Captain America did $370M) for the DC future," he tweeted at the time. Scroll down to learn more about what's happening at DC Studios:

Credit: Asset ID: 13045272i Warner Bros. 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' Presentation, Comic-Con San Diego, California, USA - 23 Jul 2022 Zachary Levi By: Stewart Cook/Shutterstock

The Future of Shazam

"Oooh, I really wouldn't go believing everything you see on the internet," Levi tweeted in December 2022 in response to a fan concerned about the Shazam movies. "I'm Gucci, Ash. We all Gucci. ????."

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No Henry Cavill as Superman

The first sign that the Black Adam sequel wasn't happening was when Henry Cavill was dropped as Superman weeks after his return was announced with a cameo at the end of Black Adam.

“I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it’s sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” Cavill, 39, wrote via Instagram on December 14. “After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life.”

Gunn told one fan who was upset about Cavill's departure that they were still on good terms. "I'm anything but cold about it," he wrote via Twitter. "I sat down in person with Henry yesterday and we had a very open and honest and respectful discussion. We've communicated since and he and I are all good."

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James Gunn Claps Back at Critics

In the midst of changes, the Guardians of the Galaxy director took to Twitter to respond to the haters and trolls. "One of the things Peter & I were aware of when we took the job as heads of DC Studios was a certain minority of people online that could be, well, uproarious & unkind, to say the least," he wrote on Monday, December 19. "Our choices for the DCU are based upon what we believe is best for the story & best for the DC characters who have been around for nearly 85 years. Perhaps these choices are great, perhaps not, but they are made with sincere hearts & integrity & always with the story in mind. No one loves to be harassed or called names – but, to be frank, we’ve been through significantly worse."

He concluded: "Disrespectful outcry will never, ever affect our actions. We were aware there would be a period of turbulence when we took this gig, & we knew we would sometimes have to make difficult & not-so-obvious choices, especially in the wake of the fractious nature of what came before us. But this means little to us in comparison to our jobs as artists & custodians in helping to create a wide & wonderful future for DC."

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Building the Next Decade of DC Films

"Although this first month at DC has been fruitful, building the next ten years of story takes time & we’re still just beginning," Gunn shared via Twitter on December 8 amid reports that Wonder Woman 3 might not happen with Patty Jenkins. Gunn said only parts of the report were true while other details hadn't even been determined yet.

"Peter & I chose to helm DC Studios knowing we were coming into a fractious environment, both in the stories being told & in the audience itself & there would be an unavoidable transitional period as we moved into telling a cohesive story across film, TV, animation, and gaming," he explained. "But, in the end, the drawbacks of that transitional period were dwarfed by the creative possibilities & the opportunity to build upon what has worked in DC so far & to help rectify what has not."

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There Will Be Updates in 2023

"As for more answers about the future of the DCU, I will sadly have to ask you to wait. We are giving these characters & the stories the time & attention they deserve & we ourselves still have a lot more questions to ask & answer," Gunn said on December 8.

On December 14, amid the news that Cavill was leaving, Gunn confirmed he's writing a script for a Superman movie. "Peter & I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year," Gunn said. "Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill."