Shazam!: Fury of the Gods is in an unusual position for the DC Cinematic Universe, being made during an awkward transition as the company tries to pivot away from Zack Snyder’s vision for the franchise and move towards something new. Still, it would seem that hasn’t held the production back, as the film has recently cast its villain, and they landed none other than Helen Mirren herself.
It’s certainly an impressive casting choice: with an Academy Award, 4 BAFTAs, 3 Golden Globes, a Tony, and an official Damehood, Mirren is quite the high profile actress, and will certainly pique interest in the Shazam! sequel. According to reports, she recently signed on to play Hespera, the daughter of Atlas.
That name might not mean much to non-comic book fans, and in an interesting wrinkle, it won’t mean much to hardcore fans either. There is no obvious comic book version of the character to pull from, which implies that this may be a case of pulling from Greek mythology, which does exist in the DC Universe, rather than using a pre-existing comics character.
Hespera is not hugely significant in Greek Mythology either. As one of the daughters of Atlas, she is more commonly known as part of a group of nymphs called the Hesperides. The details are uncertain and change with different versions of the stories, but the Hesperides are usually described as being able to sing sweetly and tend to guard an orchard where the gods sometimes visited.
Some of the more noteworthy appearances of the Hesperides include a cameo role in the fable of Heracles, who is tasked with stealing apples from their garden, as well as being host to the marriage of Zeus and Hera. That second event is interesting, as Zeus has already been established as a significant character in the DC film continuity, particularly as the father of Wonder Woman, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Hespera ends up having some connection to that part of the DC universe.
Regardless, it’s all speculation until the Shazam! sequel releases some more substantive looks at the character. Whatever role she ends up playing in the story, it’ll be interesting to see if there end up being ties to the broader universe, especially considering that the first Shazam! was fairly disconnected from the other DC films. So, audiences will simply have to speculate until the studio offers some more marketing material in the run-up to release.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 2, 2023.
Source: Deadline
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