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While the DC Studios film slate is currently in disarray, the next movie in the Shazam! series is just around the corner. Shazam! Fury of the Gods brings back Billy Batson and his team of rag-tag orphans in a new fight; this time, they’re fighting gods. One of them, Hespera, is played by the legendary Helen Mirren – but she had some issues with the film’s script.
Mirren appeared on The Graham Norton Show earlier this week to discuss the superhero movie. During her chat with the Irish talk show host she confessed a lot of the movie’s goings-on went well over her head.
“Don’t ask me about the plot,” she laughed. “It’s too complicated!” It’s no surprise she feels this way, as the movie’s premise is a little bonkers. Teenager Billy has been gifted the power of the Greek gods and can transform into a superhero by screaming the magic word: Shazam!
Mirren’s character comes into the fray to battle Batson and his pals, but that responsibility came equipped with some costume baggage.
The Oscar-winning actor explained: “We are angry goddesses wearing unbelievably heavy costumes. It was very hot and uncomfortable.”
Mirren is 77-years-old, so you would be forgiven for thinking that her stunt days are over in terms of cinema. Apparently not.
However, these stunts came with a price. Mirren said: “I did some of my own stunts, but I broke my finger.”
Despite literally breaking a bone for a superhero movie, she explained how “incredibly brave” she was about the entire ordeal. She explained she “didn’t say anything or complain”.
“I wanted to be a real ‘stunty’ person,” she added.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F Sandberg recently spoke about bringing Mirren on board with Screen Rant, where he explained how he expected her to have a specific kind of energy on set. But, in reality, she exceeded his expectations.
“You kind of have an expectation,” he recalled. “Like: ‘Oh, it’s Dame Helen entering the set!’ But the first day she came on, she’s like: ‘Yeah! We need more p**sy power on set! We’re here now!'”
Sandberg added: “I was like, ‘oh, okay!'”
Shazam! Fury of the Gods hits cinemas on March 17, 2023.
The Graham Norton Show airs Friday, February 24, 2023, at 10:40pm on BBC One.
