Mark Strong won't be in Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Mark Strong won't be appearing in 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods'.

The 57-year-old star played the villainous Doctor Sivana in the original 2019 film but confirmed that he will not be reprising his role, although he is looking forward to watching Dame Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu playing antagonists in the upcoming movie.

Mark told ComicBook.com: "You're not going to see me in the sequel. Finally, I'm allowed to say it. I've had to sort of bite my tongue for so long, but I think they're about to start filming in Atlanta and I'm very happy to give way to Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, who I think are going to make a couple of fantastic villains."

The star features in the new movie 'Cruella', which sees Emma Stone playing the iconic Cruella de Vil in an origin story for the '101 Dalmatians' villain, and believes that the project is the perfect showcase for more female baddies.

Mark said: "I mean, judging by the performances of Emma Thompson and Emma Stone in 'Cruella', it's time for the female villains, I think."

Strong also reflected on his experience in the first 'Shazam!' movie and why it is such a good family film.

He explained: "I think it's so much fun. You know, my boys absolutely loved that film and all their pals just thought it was great.

"And it's got, you know, Zach (Levi) has got such an irrepressible sort of sense about him that it's just very watchable. And all the boys in it were, all the family, you know, they were fantastic.

"So it's got those cozy, family values. It's got good over evil. It's got everything you want from that kind of movie."