‘Shazam!’ Writer On-Board for a Possible DC Sequel
While DC Films have not formally announced a sequel to last weekend’s Shazam!, they seem to be preparing to commit to one, as the writer of the first film is set to return, with the team behind the first film likely to return.
According to The Wrap, Henry Goldman is already working on a script for a hypothetical Shazam! 2 for DC Films. Director David F. Sandberg is expected to return, alongside his producer Peter Safran. Goldman is also penning an adaptation of Last Human, a Philip Lord and Christopher Miller-directed adaptation of the forthcoming novel of the same name. That movie will revolve around three robots discovering what appears to be the last human child on Earth.
It should be noted, however, that the film has not been officially greenlit as of yet by Warner Bros., but it seems like another movie is inevitable. With an estimated budget of $80M to $100M, and the official estimate being right down in the middle at $90M – which we should stress is still a low budget by superhero movie standards –DC’s Shazam! did not need to make a whole lot to profit. So far, it’s made over $160M worldwide, which means that it should clear the break-even point sometime next weekend, and reach a healthy level of profit after that. And, with the goodwill behind Shazam!, it’s likely that a sequel could really break out.
Avengers: Endgame hype might ultimately suck out some of the potential revenue that the film will make, but in the end, the movie has already served its purpose as being a low-risk, moderate-reward feature that’s been well-received and will continue to help Warner Bros. repair the image of their DC brand after a couple of rough years. Word-of-mouth on the movie appears to be solid, as evident by a huge jump in ticket sales (61%!) between Monday and Tuesday. While it has to contend with Hellboy this weekend, that movie appears to be a total dud with critics, and was tracking fairly low to begin with… Meaning that lightning might just strike twice in a superpowered match-up between two modestly-budgeted superhero movies.
Shazam! is currently playing in theaters. A sequel is being developed, alongside a Dwayne Johnson-led Black Adam spin-off, but neither projects have release dates yet.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
