Zachary Levi recently faced another setback in his career after the poor box office performance of Harold and the Purple Crayon. The film received negative reviews and could not seem to perform well due to the presence of films like Deadpool & Wolverine, Despicable Me 4, and Inside Out 2.
The failure came on the heels of his other huge flop last year Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The DCEU film was a box office disappointment, earning only $134 million against a $125 million budget. However, the actor seemed to have taken the failure in stride as a recent interview joked about the film.
Zachary Levi’s Shazam 2 Gets Roasted During Harold and the Purple Crayon Interview
Zachary Levi had his breakthrough when he played the leading role in the spy comedy series Chuck, after which he gained further fame for playing Flynn Rider in the Disney animated film Tangled. The actor was then cast as Billy Batson a.k.a Shazam in the DCEU.
After the success of 2019’s Shazam!, Levi returned to the role in the sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods. However, the film was a box-office disappointment, earning only $134 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). The film’s failure and the DCEU’s reboot by James Gunn effectively ended his tenure as the superhero (via Comic Book).
However, the actor seems to have taken the failure in stride as he laughed heartily at an interview while promoting his latest film Harold and the Purple Crayon. Levi was interviewed by two children representing Screen Crush, who seemed to address the failure of Shazam 2,
We know you’re Shazam. That movie was great…Was Shazam 2 any good? We didn’t see it.
The actor laughed at the ruthless question by the two kids and said that he thought the movie was pretty good. The kids also asked him how it was to be part of the MCU as he played Fandral in the Thor films.
Zachary Levi’s Shazam Connections To Black Adam Was Vetoed By Dwayne Johnson
While Zachary Levi’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods did not fare well at the box office, it reportedly faced roadblocks from the man who promised to change the hierarchy of the DCEU. Dwayne Johnson, who starred in the box office disaster Black Adam reportedly vetoed a connection to Levi’s character.
According to The Wrap, Johnson’s ego was one of the reasons why both the Black Adam and Shazam franchises tanked. An insider reportedly mentioned,
Dwayne tries to sell himself as bigger than the movie. He’s one of the few people who always thinks he’s the most important person in any situation or room. … Instead of making a movie, he wants to extend his brand and make a brand centered on himself.
The actor reportedly rejected a script that showed the origin story of both Shazam and Black Adam pitting them against each other as in the comics, in favor of a clash with Henry Cavill’s Superman. However, WB’s DCU reboot effectively stopped those plans as well.
Harold and the Purple Crayon is currently in theaters while Shazam! Fury of the Gods is streaming on Max.
