James Gunn may have been under fire due to DCU fans frustration over the uncertainty of the franchise’s future, however, with the Chapter 1 slate being recently unveiled, fans have renounced their initial criticisms and offered nothing but praise for Gunn’s DCU future. Although the new co-CEO of DC Studios continues to be commended, Shazam! Fury of the Gods star Zachary Levi is now walking on thin ice given his alleged anti-vax tweet.
See, Levi retweeted a post that posed a question on whether Pfizer, one of the first companies to develop and provide COVID-19 vaccines at the beginning of the pandemic, is a real danger to the world. To that, the actor shockingly tweeted his reply: “Hardcore agree” which sparked controversy around the actor’s intention. While Levi has attempted to clarify his statement by providing an example, which features a 2009 link to a DOJ report stating Pfizer’s fraudulent marketing, James Gunn took it upon himself to address the issue.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Zachary Levi Clarifies ‘Anti-Vax’ Tweet Following Backlash
Being familiar with Twitter backlash after Disney initially fired him from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 due to his controversial jokes online, Gunn made it clear that this is all a part of running a business. Check out his statement (via Variety) below:
“Just real simply: Actors and filmmakers that I work with are going to say things that I agree with and things that I don’t agree with. And that’s going to happen.” Gunn explained, “I don’t have a list of things that somebody should say because of what I think. And you know, I can’t be changing my plans all the time because an actor says something that I don’t agree with.”
The DC Studios co-CEO continued on to say, “By the same token, if somebody’s doing something morally reprehensible, then that’s a different story. We have to take all that stuff into account. It’s a balance. It's a modern world and it’s a different place.”
Seeing as Zachary Levi’s DC future is hanging in the balance, it is safe to say that for now, as long as the actor does his job, his role as Shazam is secured with Gunn around.
Meanwhile, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is slated for release on March 17, 2023.
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