Zachary Levi Wants a DC Comeback After Throwing Shade at James Gunn

Zachary Levi, best known for playing Shazam in the DCEU, has expressed interest in returning to the newly established DC Universe.

Levi shared his thoughts during an appearance on the Feature First podcast. “If James and the powers that be said ‘Hey, we would love to bring you back as Shazam,’ or if there was some other DC character… I love comic books,’ he said.

The first Shazam! film, released in 2019, was a big hit with audiences and critics, earning $367.8 million worldwide. It was followed by Shazam! Fury of the Gods in 2023 and the spin-off Black Adam in 2022. Neither matched the success of the original film, both critically or financially.

When James Gunn took over DC Studios as co-CEO alongside Peter Safran, it became clear that many of the old DCEU cast members would not continue in the new DCU. So far, only a few actors have maintained their roles, including the cast of Peacemaker, Jason Momoa, who will play Lobo in the upcoming Supergirl movie, and Sean Gunn, James Gunn’s brother, who debuted as Maxwell Lord in Superman.

Levi previously made headlines when he joked about Sean Gunn keeping his role, saying, “When you’re the brother of the guy who runs DC, I guess you get to play who you want.”

After losing the role of Shazam, Levi’s career appeared to slow down. According to The Hollywood Reporter, being cast as Shazam had been a dream for him.

“When he was cast as Shazam, it was literally his dream. He thought this was his ticket to being The Rock or Chris Evans. But it didn’t happen for him, and he’s bitter about that,” the source said. Levi has since moved from Los Angeles to Texas and is focusing on faith-based productions, which some industry insiders see as a strategic shift in his career.

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