Helen Mirren Says ‘Don’t Ask Me’ About ‘Complicated’ ‘Shazam!’ Plot: ‘I’m Not a Big Superhero-Type Person’
Helen Mirren is warning that audiences may need superpowers to fully grasp the plot of DCU entry “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.”
The actress makes her superhero film debut with the sequel film, playing villain goddess Hespera alongside Rachel Zegler and Lucy Liu. Zachary Levi also reprises his title lead role in the Warner Bros. film.
“Don’t ask me about the plot, it’s too complicated,” Mirren said during the “The Graham Norton Show” (via Insider). “[Lucy Liu and I] are angry goddesses wearing unbelievably heavy costumes. It was very hot and uncomfortable and in fact, Lucy said at the end of the first day’s shooting, ‘They are trying to kill us,’ in all seriousness.”
The “Fast X” star added, “I wanted to do it because I loved the first ‘Shazam!’ It was sweet and funny. I am not a big superhero-type person, but I loved the idea of it and happily signed up for the second one. It is great.”
Mirren performed some of her own stunts, resulting in a broken finger during production.
“I was incredibly brave and didn’t say anything or complain because I wanted to be a real ‘stunty’ person,” Mirren shared.
Director David F. Sandberg summed up the plot as being an “extension of the first movie” with lead character Billy, played by both Asher Angel and Levi, “struggling a bit” with his foster family.
“He’s holding on very tightly to his family because he doesn’t want everyone to just scatter and go do their own thing,” Sandberg told Entertainment Weekly. “He just found his family, and he wants to have them all together.”
“Fury of the Gods” has had multiple release date changes amid the DC shake-up at Warner Bros. Discovery. Spinoff film “Black Adam” starring Dwayne Johnson will also not move forward with a “Shazam!” crossover.
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” isn’t the only head-scratching role Mirren has taken on. The “1923” actress stars alongside Harrison Ford in the Paramount+ “Yellowstone” prequel, which required a “flow chart” for the cast to understand exactly how their respective characters are related to the other generations of the Dutton family.