'Shazam!' Director Explains Why He May Not Do a Sequel

With Aquaman out in theaters much to the delight of fans and Shazam! another DC film on the horizon that fans are eagerly anticipating, some are already looking forward to the idea that both films could get sequels. However, neither Aquaman director James Wan and Shazam! director David F. Sandberg have said they'd come back for a sequel. Now, Sandberg is explaining why at least he is a bit reluctant to talk a second round.

On Twitter, a fan noted that the only thing that they are sad about when it comes to Aquaman and Shazam! is that both Wan and Sandberg have said they'd like to take a break from comic book movies. The comment got Sandberg's attention and he responded, comparing making comic book movies to running a marathon.

It’s just that it takes a crazy amount of work to do a movie like this. It’s like asking a runner at the end of a marathon if they feel like doing another one. You need some time to rest and forget how difficult it was. //t.co/FMfOZwgJAk

— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) December 23, 2018

"It's just that it takes a crazy amount of work to do a movie like this," Sandberg wrote. "t's like asking a runner at the end of a marathon if they feel like doing another one. You need some time to rest and forget how difficult it was."

The idea that films like Aquaman and Shazam! require a lot of work shouldn't come as much of a surprise to fans. Comic book movies inevitably require a lot of special effects -- Aquaman's underwater world in particular comes to mind -- and even films like Shazam! requires its own attention to detail. Sandberg has been especially transparent about the work he's put into making the film with the director giving fans a lot of looks behind the scenes -- often humorous ones -- during the various stages of making Shazam!

That includes giving fans a look at the reading and research he did to make sure he had an understanding of the character.

"It wasn't a character I grew up with," Sandberg explained last year. "It was published in Sweden, where I'm from, in the '70s, so it's a little before my time. So, I only knew him from the Justice League. It's not until now that I'm getting into the comics and reading a lot of the old ones, the Geoff Johns ones, The Power of Shazam, and looking at a bunch of animation. So, I'm really getting to know the character."

Even with Sandberg expressing interest in taking a break from comic book movies after Shazam!, the film does sound like it may be worth the marathon put in to making it. Little is known about the film's plot thus far, but it's been described as paying homage to films like Tom Hanks' Big and Christopher Reeves' Superman: The Movie. You can check out the official synopsis of Shazam! below.

"We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson's (Asher Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Zachary Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou). Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he'll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong)."

Shazam! premieres in theaters on April 5, 2019.