Rachel Zegler is set to star in the upcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods, but prior to that, the actress originally read for the role of another big superhero.
Speaking to /Film, Zegler revealed that prior to being cast as the Daughter of Atlas, Anthea, she actually was in discussion to play Supergirl in The Flash.
“I read for Rich [Delia], who was our casting director, and he originally had come to me with Supergirl for Flash, and I was not right for it,” said Zegler. “He was like, ‘You know what, I’ve got a character in mind for you for Shazam. They’re looking at X, Y, Z. We would love it if you came in and read.’”
The role of Supergirl would eventually go to Sasha Calle, who is set to debut as the character when The Flash premieres on June 16, 2023. While she won’t be Supergirl, Zegler is still set to appear in the DC Universe, a job she credits co-star Jack Dylan Grazer for helping her land.
“So I read on Zoom. Obviously, the era of Zoom is isolation, pandemic era. Then I went back in, and I read for David Sandberg, and then for the last time, I had a chemistry read with Jack Dylan Grazer. The story goes that Jack picked me. That Peter Safran, our producer, turned to him and was like, ‘Which one did you like the best, Jack?’ and he said, ‘Well, she’s Maria in West Side Story, so we got to have her.’ Because Jack is a very big West Side Story fan. Jack loves West Side Story. So I have him to thank, really.”
Shazam! Fury of the Gods will see the return of Asher Angel and Zachary Levi as they reprise their respective roles as Billy Batson and Shazam. Joining them are returning cast members Jack Dylan Grazer and Adam Brody as Freddy, Faithe Herman and Meagan Good as Darla, Ian Chen and Ross Bulter as Eugene, Grace Fulton as Mary, Jovan Arman and D.J. Cotrona as Pedro, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews, and Djimon Hounsou.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is directed by David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation) from a screenplay written by Shazam! scribe Henry Gayden. It is produced by Peter Safran.
