‘Shazam!’ Director Wanted To Incorporate A Wide Variety of Comics Influences

The Shazam! movie’s director David F. Sandberg wanted to incorporate stories from a wide range of DC Comics lure.

While much of the DC movie world’s recent stories such as Aquaman have brought stories from the New 52 to life (a trend which Shazam! will continue) but we will soon see bits from other runs come to life. Sandberg opened up about his comic book inspiration while talking to ComicBook.com on the set of his upcoming film.

“Yeah, I wanted to incorporate a little bit of everything, not just New 52 but the older stuff as well,” Sandberg said. “This suit, it’s one part that works like, I want the shorter cape of the Golden Age comics, but then we’re like, ‘Let’s try the hood from the New 52’ and little things like that and trying to balance it.”

Those influence combinations can already be seen in photos and trailers for the film which revealed Zachary Levi in the full Shazam! costume. However, the source material will be honored beyond the costume. “We have things and references from the old comics, but also, but a lot of the story takes inspiration from New 52, as well,” Sandberg said. “So it’s a combination of, ‘Oh, I like this, and you like that,’ and put it together.”

According to ComicBook.com’s Chase Magnett, some of the best Shazam-centric titles available right now which should be read before the movie include Jeff Smith’s Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil #1-4, Alex Ross and Paul Dini’s World’s Greatests Super-Heroes: Shazam (with art by Ross, known well for the Kingdom Come story), and Jerry Ordway’s Power of Shazam. For a complete list of Comicbook.com’s top Shazam comic recommendations, check out Chase Magnett’s full list right here!

Which DC Comics do you hope to see brought to life in the Shazam! movie? Are there any characters or particular moments you are hoping to see? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Twitter, @BrandonDavisBD!

The Shazam! movie hits theaters on April 5.