Before jumping to Marvel with Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds played a major DC character- Hal Jordan in Green Lantern (2011). The movie bombed at the box office and grossed just $220 million against a mammoth budget of $200 million. Its Rotten Tomatoes reviews are miserably low at 24% critic approval and 45% audience. However, Shazam 2 star Zachary Levi thinks that irrespective of it all Reynolds should return, especially now with both Marvel and DC exploring the multiverse.
Zachary Levi Wants Ryan Reynolds Back With DC 
Zachary Levi as Shazam
In an interview with Jake’s Takes, Zachary Levi stated that Ryan Reynolds should return to DC. The interviewer asked the Shazam 2 star if there was anyone he would like to see a return to DC and meet Shazam since Michael Keaton is returning as Batman in The Flash.
“I think we should give Ryan Reynolds another crack at Green Lantern. I think it’d be fun! I think my Shazam and his Green Lantern would have a lot of fun.”
Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern
While it’s certainly a fun idea to have Reynolds back on as Hal Jordan, especially in a multiversal crossover event, the actor himself isn’t too enthusiastic about it. Not only did he mock himself for choosing to do Green Lantern in Deadpool 2, but James Gunn in a tweet also clarified that returning to DC isn’t a priority for Reynolds at all. The DC Studios boss said:
Reynolds is currently busy preparing for Deadpool 3 where he will share the screen with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. But, what about Levi’s DC future? He isn’t too convinced that he can return as well.
Will Zachary Levi Return As Shazam In The Future?
James Gunn
In the same interview, the host said that when an actor plays a superhero, the door is never really closed on their return. However, when the interviewer asked Zachary Levi if he would like to return to DC and the role of Shazam decades later if given the opportunity, the actor seemed hesitant.
He said, “Never say never, but I don’t know…Batman is a character who ages…Shazam is a magical being,” referring to the fact that whether Billy Batson ages or not depends on the comic canon one is looking at. The character’s convoluted comic book history can put a dent in his return plans. However, the actor said at the end that his return would ultimately depend on “what is going on in my life and if it made sense and if they really wanted me to come back.”
But Shazam 2’s box office and Rotten Tomatoes numbers don’t paint a pretty picture of Levi’s possible return. The film has a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 51% and as per Box Office Mojo, it has grossed just $73 million against its $100 to $125 million budget. Also, no project headlined by the character of Billy Batson/ Shazam was announced to be a part of the first Chapter of DCU under James Gunn. As such, it remains to be seen if or when Levi will return to DC again.
Shazam 2 is now playing in theaters.
