'Shazam 2' is confirmed with a release date now set

A sequel to the surprise hit Shazam! has been confirmed.

According to Warner Bros, Shazam 2 will land on April 1, 2022, with Zachery Levi back as the Champion of Eternity, and the superhero alter ego of teen Billy Batson.

The first movie, helmed by Swedish director David F. Sandberg, was something of a curveball in the DC extended universe.

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Coming off the back of the dour Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the Justice League movie, its fun and breezy tone was loved by critics, The Hollywood Reporter dubbing it 'Big on steroids.'

It found Asher Angel's foster child Batson being gifted the power to turn into an adult superhero on uttering the word 'Shazam'.

The movie also found Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana and It star Jack Dylan Grazer as Billy's foster brother Freddy Freeman.

Though it wasn’t a huge box office hit - it made around $365 million - it was a word of mouth hit, with a sequel now eagerly anticipated.

Shazam 2 will arrive just prior to Erza Miller's standalone The Flash movie, arriving from DC on July 1, 2022.

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But more importantly it will arrive after the long-in-gestation Black Adam movie, set for Christmas 2021, with Dwayne Johnson in the lead as the anti-hero.

Smart money would be on some reference – a mid/post credits scene perhaps – teeing up the Shazam sequel in the Black Adam movie.

In the DC comics, Black Adam is Shazam's arch nemesis.

Meanwhile, in the DCEU, James Wan's Aquaman 2 completes the current slate, due for release in December, 2022.