Will Shazam survive the DC Extended Universe overhaul?

‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ is set to hit theaters on March 17, but there have been questions mark as to how the character and the franchise fit in the DC Extended Universe.

The movie was developed and filmed before James Gunn and Peter Safran took over and overhauled DC Studios, making Shazam’s future unclear following the next instalment.

Will Shazam survive the DC Universe overhaul?

David F. Sandberg, who directed ‘Shazam!’ and its upcoming sequel ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’, says the franchise’s future depends on how it performs at the box office.

“Hey David, I don’t feel like watching the movie because of the drama happening around DC studios,” a Twitter user wrote to the director.

“It is just killing the vibe of the film. There is a lot of uncertainty about DC’s Future. Just give us an answer, whether Shazam will have a role in future DCU.”

Sandberg responded by letting the fan know that nothing that’s been filmed contradicts DC’s future plans, which leaves the door open for future films.

“He definitely won’t if people don’t go see the movie,” Sandberg responded. “What I’ve been told is that there’s nothing in the Shazam films that contradict the future plans for DC.

“So the possibility for more Shazam is there and if that’s what you want your best bet is to go see the film.”

While Gunn and Safran have already announced several new projects as part of their overhaul, they’ve also pulled the plug on several projects, including ‘Wonder Woman 3′, a ‘Black Adam’ sequel and Henry Cavill’s return as Superman in ‘Man of Steel 2′.

Zachary Levi confident Shazam will continue

Zachary Levi, who plays Shazam in the movie, recently told Yahoo! Entertainment that he’s confident he’ll be part of the DCU moving forward.

“This whole industry is constantly shifting. This world is constantly shifting,” said Levi. “I think James Gunn and Peter Safran are gonna be great leaders and I think they have great ideas and I’m just trusting whatever their vision is.

“As far as Shazam! is concerned, we got to make a sequel because enough people saw the first one. So if enough people go and see this one, then we’ll get to make another one. I hope, you know? I don’t see anything standing in the way of that.

“As a franchise we have kind of been doing our own thing, anyway. We weren’t really tied to a lot of what already existed. So as long as they see fit to want to keep making Shazam! movies, and it’s right for me in my life, I’ll keep playing this role as long as I can.”