Shazam 2 Director Didn’t Believe The Movie’s Best Cameo Would Happened Until It Was Finally Filmed
Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg assumed until the last minute that Gal Gadot would not be available for a cameo.
For those who saw the original Shazam, you’re probably well aware of how it brought about Superman as part of its end scene — specifically, we didn’t get to see his face, since Henry Cavill wasn’t actually available to give a cameo. So, while Shazam 2 was always meant to feature an appearance from Wonder Woman, director David F. Sandberg assumed that actress Gal Gadot would no-show, and they’d be forced to use a stand-in once again. In an interview with Slash Film, the director revealed that he planned to cut another sequence from the movie if he couldn’t get Gal Gadot to appear on set.
In the interview, Sandberg spoke about a dream sequence in Shazam 2 that used Wonder Woman’s body to comedic effect, poking fun at the original headless superman debacle. The dream ends with Wonder Woman having the face of the wizard who gave Billy Batson his powers in the first movie. Sandberg worried that the joke would anger fans if Gal Gadot didn’t make an actual appearance by the end of the film, so they decided not to include it if Gadot didn’t show up.
Before Shazam 2 hit theaters, it was unclear whether Gal Gadot would ever reprise her role as Wonder Woman in the new James Gunn-led DC Universe. The news seemed to flip back and forth by the month, with the actress’s fate being left up in the air. While her return in Shazam 2 is far from a guarantee that she’ll stick with the DC Universe long-term, it’s certainly a good sign for fans of the character.
Beyond Shazam 2, there’s more good news for fans of Wonder Woman. A recent reveal of figurines from FunkoPop revealed that Wonder Woman would appear in The Flash, set to release in June of this year. The universe-jumping superhero flick was already known to include appearances by Supergirl, General Zod, and two versions of Batman, so Wonder Woman’s appearance would definitely fit right in with the theme of the film.
Of course, just because Shazam 2 featured Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman doesn’t mean that she’ll play the role in The Flash. We already know that both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck will appear as different versions of Batman in the film, meaning that someone else could play an alternate-universe version of Wonder Woman without Gal Gadot needing to appear. With no official confirmation about who will play Wonder Woman in the film, we’ll just have to wait and see who ends up appearing.
Even with Shazam 2 (and possibly The Flash) featuring Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, the fate of the character in the DC Universe is still unknown. There have been no upcoming Wonder Woman films announced, meaning that even if Gal Gadot keeps the role, she won’t be the lead actress in a film for quite some time.
As for Gal Gadot herself, she has plenty of projects planned, even if none of them involve Wonder Woman. She’s set to appear in Heart of Stone this year and will play the Evil Queen in next year’s live-action adaptation of Snow White. She’s also signed on for Cleopatra, Irena Sendler, a sequel to Red Notice, and a biographical film about Hedy Lemarr.
