Before Shazam! was a reality, apparently filmmaker David F. Sandberg met with Sony about making Venom, its Spider-Man spinoff that eventually ended up grossing $856 million for director Ruben Fleischer. The filmmaker apparently read the Venom script and even met with Sony, but ultimately did not aggressively pursue the project because he was already getting close to making Shazam!. The director revealed the near-miss on Instagram, after being asked about what attracted him to Shazam!, and whether he had another superhero opportunity at some point.
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With Sandberg’s horror movie bone fides (he directed Lights Out and Annabelle Creation before turning his attention to the DC Universe), he could have been an interesting fit for Venom, which was as much a monster movie as a superhero film. And while we can’t wait to see what Sandberg is cooking up with Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, it’s true that if he had done Venom, he could have got a sequel into theaters a lot faster.
“I read the script and had a meeting about Venom, but I was already going down the path of Shazam!, and felt that I’d rather do that than pursue Venom,” Sandberg said, adding, “I thought Venom turned out quite good, though.”
You can see a screenshot of the Instagram story response below.
You can check out the official synopsis for Sandberg’s Shazam! follow-up below.
From New Line Cinema comes Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which continues the story of teenage Billy Batson who, upon reciting the magic word “SHAZAM!,” is transformed into his adult Super Hero alter ego, Shazam.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods stars returning cast members Zachary Levi (Thor: Ragnarok) as Shazam; Asher Angel (Andi Mack) as Billy Batson; Jack Dylan Grazer (It Chapter Two) as Freddy Freeman; Adam Brody (Promising Young Woman) as Super Hero Freddy; Ross Butler (Raya and the Last Dragon) as Super Hero Eugene; Meagan Good (Day Shift) as Super Hero Darla; D.J. Cotrona (G.I. Joe: Retaliation) as Super Hero Pedro; Grace Caroline Currey (Annabelle: Creation) as Mary Bromfield / Super Hero Mary; Faithe Herman (This Is Us) as Darla Dudley; Ian Chen (A Dog’s Journey) as Eugene Choi; Jovan Armand (Second Chances) as Pedro Pena; Marta Milans (White Lines) as Rosa Vasquez; Cooper Andrews (The Walking Dead) as Victor Vasquez; with Djimon Hounsou (A Quiet Place Part II) as Wizard. Joining the cast are Rachel Zegler (West Side Story), with Lucy Liu (Kung Fu Panda franchise) and Helen Mirren (F9: The Fast Saga).
Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is set to open in theaters in March 2023.
