Shazam! Fury of the Gods writers reveal superhero Pedro Peña is gay

By CHRISTINE RENDON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 01:06 GMT, 7 March 2023 | UPDATED: 02:26 GMT, 7 March 2023
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods screenwriters have confirmed superhero Pedro Peña is gay as they described being ‘more forthright’ about his sexuality in the upcoming sequel.
‘The only new addition for this movie is being a lot more forthright about Pedro being gay,’ screenwriter Henry Gayden told Dorkaholics in an interview with co-writer Chris Morgan.
‘And that was hinted at in the first movie very subtly,’ Gayden explained. ‘And I thought it was really important and really, really fought for us including that and bringing that to the fore in this movie.’
Pedro, played by Jovan Armand and D.J. Cotrona, briefly alluded to his sexuality in a scene from the first film after the kids were teleported to a strip club.
As they left, Pedro remarked, ‘Not my thing.’
‘That was hinted at in the first movie very subtly’: Shazam! Fury of the Gods screenwriters have revealed superhero Pedro Peña is gay
The sequel to 2019’s Shazam is the first of four DCEU films arriving in 2023, hitting theaters March 17, followed by The Flash (June 16), Blue Bettle (August 18) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 25).
Zachary Levi – who debunked rumors he was being recast in December – returns as the title character – the adult superhero that Billy Batson (Asher Angel) turns into, after being gifted amazing powers by a wizard (Djimon Hounsou) in the original 2019 Shazam!
The trailer begins with Kalypso (Lucy Liu) landing on an empty baseball field before summoning a massive creature up from the soil that lays waste to the ballpark.
‘We are at war. We will annihilate everything,’ says Hespera (Helen Mirren), as we see footage of destruction throughout the city.
‘The champions of this realm can do nothing to stop us,’ Hespera says, as it’s revealed she’s talking to a stunned Shazam himself.
‘You are very menacing. I just want you to know that,’ Shazam says, before an angry Hespera kicks him clear across the street.
‘A lot has changed in the last few years. A wizard gave me super powers, and then everybody got super powers,’ Shazam says, as we see his friends in their adult hero forms, played by Adam Brody, Meagan Good, Ross Butler and D.J. Cotrona.
Original film: Jovan Armand, who plays a young Pedro Pena
Lights, camera, action! Zachary Levi pictured in a scene from the original Shazam
‘OK, here’s the situation. The Daughters of Atlas are coming to hunt us,’ Shazam tells his friends, while we see Hespera grabbing the child version of Freddy (Jack Dylan Glazer).
‘Children stole the power of the Gods. You ripped it from our fathers’ core!’ Hespera says, as Shazam jokes, ‘OK I feel like maybe I should be writing all of this down.’
The wizard who gave Shazam his powers tells him, ‘Your world will not survive this,’ as Shazam tells the Daughters, ‘You want these powers? Then come get them.’
He then attacks Kalypso on a large dragon, joking, ‘Hey Khaleesi!’ before ramming her through a large skyscraper.
Adult heroes: Levi – who debunked rumors he was being recast in December – returns as the title character
Trailer: At the end of last month Warner Bros. has released the new trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which showcased new action-packed footage
The trailer also offers a glimpse at Rachel Zegler’s new character, who seems to have powers of her own, though little else is known about her at this point.
She’s later seen in a Shazam suit of her own adding, ‘I don’t know how we fight powers like this.’
Shazam approaches the wizard, asking him to, ‘take my powers back. You gave ’em to me so you can take ’em back right?’
The wizard won’t do it though, saying he, ‘spent millennia searching for a worthy champion. You know exactly what must be done.’
Shazam and Kalypso are seen squaring off as Kalypso yells, ‘We end this now!’ as Shazam replies, ‘Yeah, we do.’
The trailer winds down with a number of fast-paced action shots as Shazam goes toe-to-toe with Kalypso and her dragon as the trailer comes to an end.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
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