Zachary Levi on American Underdog, Kurt Warner, Comic-Con and Why Shazam 2 Is Better Than Original
36With the Erwin Brothers’ American Underdog opening in theaters on Christmas Day, I recently spoke to Zachary Levi about playing former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner in the biopic. Based on the book All Things Possible by Warner and Michael Silver, the film chronicles Warner’s incredible true story, as he went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to becoming a two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP before being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Written by Jon Erwin, David Aaron Cohen, and Jon Gunn, the film also pulls back the curtain on what a lot of people don’t know about Warner’s personal life, including how he met his wife Benda (Anna Paquin), the struggles they went through, and the importance of faith, family and determination in their lives. The film also stars Dennis Quaid, Adam Baldwin, Bruce McGill, Ser’Darius Blain, Chance Kelly, Morgana Shaw, Brett Varvel, and Bryce Bruckbauer.
During the wide-ranging and fun interview, Levi talked about how he got involved in the project, what surprised him about talking with Kurt and Brenda in preparing for the role, filming the barn dance and football scenes, his favorite San Diego Comic-Con memories, his favorite video game console, and more. In addition, he talked about the Shazam! sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and explained why he thinks the sequel will be even better than the first film. He said:
"I will say that I genuinely — and this is not just lip service — I'm really proud of the first one, I think we made a really, really good movie. I think the second one is better. I think that we had more time, we had more budget. We had, essentially, the entire cast returning, and we all knew our characters a little bit more; we could kind of sit into them a little bit more. Henry Gayden, who wrote the first script, wrote the second, and he did a fantastic job doing so. Everything just clicked even a little bit more and a little bit more. And also the kids have grown up a little bit more, so even the sensibilities of them become even slightly more mature which brings it closer to my or other people's adult minds, so there's even more connection there, I think. The action's great, the comedy's great, the relationships are great. The bad guys, Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, are fantastic. I'm very proud of it. I want it to come out sooner than June of 2023."
As a huge fan of the first Shazam!, my only complaint is we have to wait till the summer of 2023 to see it.
Check out what Zachary Levi had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
Zachary Levi
If someone has never seen anything he’s done what is the first thing he wants them watching and why?
When did he feel like he could pay rent just from acting and no jobs on the side?
What is his favorite video game console?
What is his favorite San Diego Comic-Con year that he attended?
How did he get involved in American Underdog?
How he wasn’t going to be able to make the movie due to his schedule but after COVID changed everything they were able to make it work.
How most people know Kurt Warner’s football story, but most don’t know what went on behind-the-scenes with his family and his dream to make it.
What would he rather spend the day doing: wearing the Shazam suit or his NFL outfit?
Why does Hollywood tell few stories about the NFL on TV and in the movies?
What surprised him about talking with Kurt Warner and Brenda Warner and learning about their story?
What was tougher: filming the barn dance or the football scenes?
What can he tease about Shazam 2?
Why he thinks the Shazam sequel will be better than the first film.
His thoughts on the summer 2023 release date and eventually fighting Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam.
#ZacharyLevi #AmericanUnderdog #Shazam2
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