Helen Mirren roped in to play the villain Hespera in 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods'

Veteran actress Helen Mirren will play the main villain, Hespera in the upcoming superhero film 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods'.

Veteran British actress, Helen Mirren, 75, will take on the role of the antagonist, Hespera in Shazam: Fury Of The Gods, the sequel to the 2019 film. Shazam's based on the DC Comics character, Billy Batson, who transformed from a teenager into an adult superhero upon saying, "shazam".

Lead actor Zachary Levi will return in the sequel, as will most of the original cast including, Asher Angel. Rachel Zegler and Adam Brody are expected to join the sequel as well. The director, David F. Sandberg will helm the film written by Henry Gayden. The movie is set to be released in June 2023.

Not much is known about Hespera, other than the fact that she is the daughter of Atlas. The character does not appear in the DC comics but Hespera would undoubtedly have some feelings about Shazam’s powers, which include the stamina of her father, Atlas. He also possesses the strength of Hercules, the power of Zeus, the wisdom of Solomon, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury.

Mirren is no stranger to action roles as the Oscar-winning actress of The Queen (2006) played an assassin in Red (2010) and Red 2 (2013), as well as criminal mastermind Queenie in the Fast & Furious movie franchise. She'll next be seen in the franchise's upcoming installment, F9, which will be out in June, reprising her role as Queenie.

This is an interesting cast choice and we are super stoked to see how this plays out. The DC universe has always been dark but Shazam is one superhero who brings a little fun to this otherwise dark universe.

ALSO READ: Jamie Foxx all set to play Mike Tyson in a limited series