Ross Butler, Grace Caroline Currey & DJ Cotrona Interview: Shazam! Fury Of The Gods

In Shazam! Fury of the Gods Billy and his family have been fighting crime for a few years since defeating Dr. Sivana and have experienced varying degrees of success. Billy continues to grapple with his superhero identity and his fears about the future, especially as he approaches eighteen, when a new threat appears: the Daughters of Atlas. The dangerous new enemies target Billy and the others because of their powers. Now, it’s up to the Shazamily to defeat the Daughters of Atlas and stop them from using a potentially world-ending weapon.

The adult Shazam superhero alter egos of the kids are much more prominent in the sequel after only being featured in the climactic Shazam! battle against Sivana and the seven deadly sins. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is directed by David F. Sandberg and written by Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan. Shazam! Fury of the Gods features an impressive cast led by Zachary Levi, Adam Brody, Meagan Good, Ross Butler, Grace Caroline Currey, D.J. Cotrona, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Lucy Liu, Rachel Zegler, and Hellen Mirren.

Related: Shazam! Fury of the Gods Early Reactions: A Worthwhile DC Movie Sequel

Screen Rant spoke with Ross Butler, Grace Caroline Currey, and DJ Cotrona about their larger roles in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Cotrona discusses the new super suits, and Currey explains how Mary helps Billy through his fears about aging out of the foster system. The trio also reveals which DC characters they want to see the Shazamily team up with in the future.

Ross Butler, Grace Caroline Currey & DJ Cotrona On Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Screen Rant: Amazing job on this film! This is my favorite superhero movie of the year so far. It doubles down on everything I loved about the first film, and this one just raises the bar. Grace, Mary has been the leader of the kids since she’s the oldest. Can you talk to me about how she helps Billy take leadership of the Shazamily in this film and how we’ve seen Mary evolve in this film from the last one?

Grace Caroline Currey: She recognizes that Billy is holding on really tightly to this family, which it’s his first time having a family. So, of course, he’s gonna hold on tight. And so she sits him down and tries to help him confront his emotions. Because classic Billy he’s just running away from them a little bit. He ran away from the foster home in the first movie, but in this movie, he’s running away from his emotions. So she just is seeing him and helping him process the fact that he’s getting older and aging out of the foster system like she did.

Ross, I love Eugene’s curiosity, and it’s an asset, especially in the lair when we get there. Did you work with any of the younger actors to help with the mannerisms or speech patterns at all?

Ross Butler: A little bit, yeah. So in the first movie, I had a couple of dinners and lunches with Ian [Chen] and his family. It was cute. I feel like Ian and I are very similar. I was kind of shy growing up, but then I started coming out of my shell, and I see Ian doing the same now. It was just spending time together and getting a vibe.

DJ, correct me if I’m wrong, but you were going to be Superman at some point in the George Miller-

DJ Cotrona: Are you trying to make me have PTSD?

But you were gonna play Superman in the George Miller Justice League film, but in this film, you get to spend more time in your Shazam costume. Can you talk to me about spending that much time in the costume in this film?

DJ Cotrona: On movie one, we had suits that were a little more constrictive, one might say. We had some technical issues trying to get pieces of our bodies to be comfortable in certain ways. And in the second movie, we got this major suit upgrade, and they were tailored so specifically to our bodies. They did full 3D scans of our bodies, and the muscles were very accurate to our body types. So the suit itself was physically comfortable.

But getting to do a full movie start to finish as a superhero is incredible. It’s a childhood dream come true. And to do it in a film like Shazam, where that is the heart of the film, to play a child that dreams of becoming a superhero and actually does it. It kind of touches your ability to enjoy it and realize how lucky you are.

Look, we don’t know what the future of the DCU is, but I certainly hope the Shazamily is a part of it. And I feel like this lays the groundwork for it to be a part of the new DCU. If the Shazamily could team up with any superhero coming into the DCU, who would that be?

DJ Cotrona: Suicide Squad. I want to see kids forced together with psychopathic murderers and try and figure out a way to work together.

Grace Caroline Currey: I want to work with Batman. That’d be fun. He’s a detective. I think Mary’s got detective mentalities.

DJ Cotrona: Feels like a spin-off.

Grace Caroline Currey: Mary and Batman.

DJ Cotrona: Batmary. Maryman?

Ross Butler: I really loved the Justice League cartoon. The Martian?

DJ Cotrona: Martian Manhunter, John Jones.

Ross Butler: I’d love to have him, just kind of like a weird throw in. Literally Martian and kids.

Grace Caroline Currey: He gives Hawkgirl therapy. He’s awesome!

Ross Butler: He’s just kind of like this stoic guy. He has very dry humor, or very just dry in general, and up with a bunch of teenagers.

About Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Billy Batson and his foster family continue to fight crime as their adult superhero alter egos. However, powerful new enemies, the daughters of Atlas, target Billy and his family because of their powers. The Shazamily must work together once again to save the world from this dangerous and potentially world-ending threat.

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