Shazam 2 Adds Helen Mirren In Villainous Role As Hespera

Helen Mirren has been cast in a key role in the DC sequel Shazam: Fury of the Gods. As reported by Deadline, Mirren will play a villainous character named Hespera.

While this character doesn't exist in DC comic books, in Greek mythology Hespera is one of the three daughters of the god Atlas, who were entrusted with the care of a tree of golden apples for the goddess Hera. It had already been rumored that the Shazam sequel will feature three sisters as the villains.

This will be Mirren's first role in a superhero movie. Most recently, the veteran British star appeared as Magdalene Shaw in The Fate of the Furious and Hobbs & Shaw, and is set to return to that franchise in this summer's F9: The Fast Saga.

Shazam: Fury of the Gods hits theaters on June 2, 2023. Asher Angel will return as Billy Batson, as will Zachary Levi as Billy's heroic alter ego Shazam. Jack Dylan Grazer plays Billy's pal Freddy once more, while Rachel Zegler was recently cast in a currently unknown role. The movie is directed by David Sandberg, who helmed the first movie. Sadly however, it won't feature '90s comedian Sinbad.

While the Shazam sequel is still a couple of years away, there's plenty of DC movies arriving before then. James Gunn's The Suicide Squad releases in August, with Matt Reeves' The Batman following in March 2022. Beyond that, The Flash and Aquaman 2 are currently scheduled for November and December 2022, while Dwayne Johnson will make his DC debut in the Shazam spin-off Black Adam, which doesn't have a release date yet. For more, check out GameSpot's guide to every upcoming DC movie we know about.

In related news, it was announced this week that DC's parent company Warner Bros. has reached a deal with Regal theater owners Cineworld over the exhibition of its movies from 2022. Warner films will pay exclusively in Regal theaters in the US for 45 days, before heading to digital platforms.