She played a queen and now she will be a goddess.
Helen Mirren joined the New Line DC comic adaptation “Shazam! Fury of the Gods ”as Hespera, the villainous daughter of the god Atlas.
Virtually the entire team behind “Shazam!” 2019 is returning to the sequel, including stars Asher Angel (who plays teenager Billy Batson, who is imbued with the power of superhero Shazam whenever he says his name) and Zachary Levi (who plays the adult version of Billy whenever he has the power of Shazam). David F. Sandberg is directing the film from a screenplay by Henry Gayden. The original raised $ 366 million globally.
Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”) is also expected to join the franchise in the sequel.
Mirren’s role is somewhat mysterious, as Hespera lacks a clear equivalent of DC comics. But she undoubtedly has some feelings about Shazam’s powers, which include the resistance of her father, Atlas – as well as the strength of Hercules, the power of Zeus, the wisdom of Solomon, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury.
Mirren knows franchises full of action. She will appear in “F9: The Fast Saga”, reprising her role as Magdalene “Queenie” Shaw, and she also played a killer in “RED” in 2010 and “RED 2” in 2013. She won an Oscar for best actress for playing Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen” 2006.
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods ”is scheduled to open in June 2023.