Zachary Levi replaced as Shazam by Alan Ritchson? James Gunn reacts

James Gunn recently took to Twitter and cleared the rumour about Shazam! star Zachary Levi getting replaced in the role. Levi recently featured in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which received lukewarm reviews. The box office collections of the latest DC Studios film were also muted. Moreover, Shazam and its characters were also left out of the DCU reboot under Gunn and Peter Safran. 

A fan asked the DC Studios' co-CEO about rumours that Levi was going to get replaced by Alan Ritchson of Reacher fame as Billy Batson aka Shazam. The fan retweeted the rumours, tagging Gunn and asked him, “Is this true?” Gunn dispelled the rumours and replied, “No lol jesus.” Many on social media have been critical of Shazam 2, despite the first film being a box office success. Check out the tweets in which Gunn cleared the air on Levi getting relaced as Shazam.

no lol jesus

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 13, 2023

Alan Ritchson part of DCU?

Alan Ritchson has a history with the CW DC universe. The actor first appeared in the Superman series Smallville, where he portrayed the character of the oceanic superhero Arthur Curry aka Aquaman. Following this, the actor played the role of Hawk aka Hank Hall in the interconnected shows Titans, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl. Ritchson garnered praise for the portrayal of Jack Reacher in the Prime Video series Reacher. The character was essayed by Top Gun: Maverick star Tom Cruise in the 2012 film Jack Reacher and 2016 film Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.
 

More about Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Shazam 2 is directed by David F Sandberg, also credited for Annabelle: Creation. It stars Zachary Levi in the titular role, with Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler playing the roles of the three daughters of Atlas, namely Hespera, Kalypso and Antheam respectively. Other cast members include Grace Caroline Currey, Michelle Borth, Asher Angel, Marta Milans, Adam Brody, Jack Dylan Grazer, Meagan Good and more. 

Sandberg previously said that Shazam 2’s reception online has made him completely uninterested in the superhero genre. He added that he would be heading off towards the horror genre again. His 2016 horror film Lights Out was well received by the fans of the genre. Moreover, Shazam will not feature in the upcoming DC slate, which includes titles such as Superman: Legacy, Creature Commandos, The Authority and Swamp Thing.