DC

Shazam! Fury of the Gods Director Releases “Sandberg Cut” With New BTS Video

We’re still a ways away from the debut of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the long-awaited sequel to DC’s 2019 superhero blockbuster. The film is poised to not only feature more adventures for the Shazam! family, but introduce an array of new characters and creatures, something that was on full display during last year’s DC FanDome behind-the-scenes sizzle reel. On Friday, fans were treated to another brief behind-the-scenes snippet of the film, courtesy of a Twitter exchange between director David F. Sandberg and new star Rachel Zegler. Zegler took to Twitter to celebrate her one-year anniversary of being cast in a mystery role in the film, and prompted Sandberg to “release the Sandberg cut.” Sandberg then shared a brief video of him controlling a VFX stand-in on set, which prompted scared responses from some of the film’s younger stars.

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The cast of Shazam! Fury of the Gods includes Zachary Levi as Shazam!, Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Grace Fulton as Mary Bromfield, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Adam Brody as Super Hero Freddy, Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, Meagan Good as Super Hero Darla, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Ross Butler as Super Hero Eugene, Jovan Armand as Pedro Pena, D.J. Cotrona as Super Hero Pedro, Marta Milans as Rosa Vasquez, and Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez. New cast members also include Helen Mirren as Hespera, Lucy Liu as Kalypso.

“I loved the first Shazam movie,” producer Peter Safran explained in an interview with Collider earlier this year. “I thought it was beautifully done. I thought that David Sandberg nailed that tone so incredibly well. The eye of the needle was so small to get it right, but he really did nail it. I feel like this second one has more emotion, more humor, but it also has bigger action, bigger set pieces, some great villains. I just feel like it’s everything that we loved in the first movie but really turned up to 11. So I love it.”

“I think the addition of some of these new characters with Rachel Zegler and Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu are fantastic editions,” Safran continued. “I love that the kids are all a little bit older now so we get to have a little bit more fun in kind of an edgier fashion with them. Zach inhabits that character in such a beautiful fashion. So to have been able to make a second one of those, it’s a thrill.”

Are you excited for Shazam! Fury of the Gods? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is set to be released on June 2, 2023.