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The now-dead DCEU made tons of head-scratching decisions during its run from 2013 to 2023, with the casting of Zachary Levi as Shazam being among the biggest.
Prior to being cast as Shazam, Levi was best known for the NBC sitcom Chuck, which ran from 2007 to 2012. And that was it, at least as far as live-action roles are concerned, as he also voiced Flynn Rider in Disney’s Tangled.
While endorsing convicted felon Donald Trump for President last month, however, Levi positioned it as a risk, calling it “career suicide.” Levi endorsed Trump after his preferred candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rolled over and played dead for a cabinet position in a hypothetical Trump administration.
That, though, appeared to be an attempt at the old “You can’t fire me because I quit!”, as Levi’s “mainstream career already was all but dead,” according to Hollywood executives who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter.
“When he was cast as Shazam, it was literally his dream,” a source told The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
Even when Levi was playing Shazam his position on the Hollywood totem pole was clear, as The Rock never showed the slightest interest in having his Black Adam character face off against Shazam despite the fact that the characters are traditionally arch enemies in the comics.
Levi’s next project is the film The Unbreakable Boy, a Christian movie that was shot back in 2020 and is set to release in February 2025.
As for DC, James Gunn will attempt to wipe away the memories of the DCEU when he launches the DCU with the release of Superman next summer.