'Shazam!' Director Shows Off His Comic Book Research

09/10/2017 05:09 pm EDT

Pre-production on Shazam! is well underway, and it looks like things are getting a little self-reflective.

David F. Sandberg, who is set to direct the film, recently shared a comic strip of himself crossing paths with Billy Batson/Shazam! himself. You can check it out below.

In the serial-like comic strip, Shazam unmasks the director, who is referred to by his online username, Ponysmasher. The cartoon version of Sandberg then uses his own 'magic word', a Swedish phrase which roughly translates to "ass butter." Sandberg begins transforming into a grotesque creature, causing Shazam to react rather vulgarly and fly out through a window. The last panel triumphantly - and hilariously - tells readers to "buy war bonds today!"

Fans should probably expect this sort of humor from Sandberg, who has used social media to troll fans quite a bit. The director has posted humorous 'first looks' at the film's script, as well as concept art for the titular hero's costume. Even his track of Shazam's pre-production, which involves a growing tower of Coke Zero cans, has gotten increasingly ridiculous.

When it comes to actual research, Sandberg is reaching from across the character's storied DC Comics appearances for inspiration.

"I'm just taking it all in." Sandberg explained earlier this summer. "Some of those really old ones are quite fun, when he's like fighting Hitler and stuff like that. He's been around since the [1940s], for like as long as Superman. So there's a lot to read."

Shazam! is currently in pre-production, and is set to cast two actors to play the role of Billy Batson. John Cena and Joshua Sasse are rumored to be frontrunners to play hero's older superpowered self. Hopefully we will soon find out who will play the title role (and possibly uncover Sandberg's true form).

Shazam! was originally slated for an April 5, 2019 release date. No additional update about release date has been provided.

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