It appearsShazam!star Zachary Levi was never destined for a Marvel movie role. The actor said that by missing out on a role inGuardians of the Galaxy, he was able to book the role of Shazam for Warner Bros. and DC.
Levi, unfortunately, lost out on the lead role forGuardians of the Galaxy,which, as many know, went to Chris Pratt. Levi would’ve been a good fit for the role of Peter Quill based on his comedic timing inShazam!alone, so it’s no wonder the actor once had a shot at playing Star-Lord. It seems that DC comics was always his calling, and now he’s gottenhis own Shazam franchiseas a result.
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Zachary Levi sat down with The Fourth Wall podcast and spoke about this with them in detail. “James [Gunn] and I knew each other, we were friends, we would have game nights at each other’s homes, had a lot of mutual friends,” Levi said. The actor’s close relationship withtheGuardians of the Galaxydirectoris how he got asked to come in and read for Star-Lord. After a few readings, Levi ended up doing camera tests, which is a big deal because they have the actors wear the costume on camera to see how they look. Only actors being seriously considered for a role are able to get to this step.
Getting that far intothe casting process for Star-Lordonly to get rejected is very disheartening, as Levi recounted. “Oh man, I wanted that role so bad, like so, so, so, so bad. It came down to me, one other guy, and Chris Pratt, but Chris was always their favorite…eventually, and I think smartly, [Pratt] decided to take the job and so it didn’t go my way,” he said. “I hoped I left enough of a good impression with James that when I was auditioning for ‘Shazam,’ and his very dear friend, and manager, and sometimes producing partner, Peter Safran, calls up James because this is how our industry works.” Levi pondered whether or not his audition at Marvel is what got him a leading role at DC, adding, “I think between that and how well James thought I did in the Star-Lord test, he said, ‘Yeah man, you really should give Zach an opportunity at this. I really think he could be great.'”
In a nice change of luck, Levi goes from being removed from theThorfilms as a side character to leading a solo DC superhero film franchise as a hero who’sas strong as Superman. It’s safe to say the actor didn’t miss out on anything.
Moving forward in the filmmaking industry can often boil to down who someone knows and how well-connected they are. Often times just getting the opportunity to audition can make the difference, so for Levi, it all worked out in his favor. Of course, talent still needs to demonstrate their ability to perform, but sometimes just a phone call can be enough for a small role or even a chance to be in the running for the sequel.
Shazam! Fury of the Godswill be in theaters on June 2nd, 2023
