Shazam! 2 Director "Didn't Believe" Major DC Cameo Would Actually Happen (Exclusive)

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is finally in theaters, and fans can finally see what all the hubbub is about. Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema are trying to recapture the magic that the first film had, but if the critical response is any indicator, they aren't having any luck. It was revealed a little before the film's release that Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) would be appearing in the Shazam! sequel in a TV spot that highlighted social media reactions. But it turns out that, due to past experiences, director David F. Sandberg didn't really think that the cameo would work out, even though the iconic DC character was in the script. ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis had the chance to interview Sandberg for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, where we exclusively learned about what was going through the director's mind regarding the cameo.

Warning Spoilers For Shazam! Fury of the Gods Are Ahead!

"In the first movie, Henry Cavill, we were supposed to get him to do a little cameo there. It didn't work out, so I didn't think Gal was going to be in this movie, even though it said right there in the script, 'Wonder Woman shows up.' I was very happy that it did work out, because then it enabled us to play around a little bit with that and tease people a little bit," Sandberg exclusively told us. "If we'd had just another headless cameo, people would've been so upset. Now, yeah, we get to have a little fun with it, and then towards the end. Yeah, when you first see her, the head is cut off but it's only for a second, because I don't want people to throw their hands up and leave the theater. We go like, 'No, she really is here.' and select members of press at a screening reception event about the Wonder Woman cameo where she brings Billy Batson / Shazam! back to life at the end."

"She was always in the script, but yeah, I didn't believe it. Because on the first one, we were going to have Superman at the end, and that didn't work out," Sandberg revealed at a round table press event that we attended. "But it seemed like it was. And then we were shooting that scene, they were like, 'Oh, he's not going to make it to this shoot, so we'll shoot it with a stand in and then eventually we'll shoot his coverage and put it in there.' It's like okay. But then that day never came, and we had to sort of improvise with the stand in footage. Which is why the movie ends the way it does. Which is still a fun ending. But for this one I was like that's not going to happen. And even when we're shooting most of that scene, it was like, 'Oh, she's not going to make it to this location or this set, so we're going to have to shoot it with a stand in and then pick up her piece.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, sure.' I'm sort of thinking like, okay, so when we don't get Gal, maybe we can have ... What do we do? Can Helene come back? We're like we need some sort of God. I was already thinking about plan B. But then, luckily enough, it did actually happen, we got to shoot with Gal and do it this way."

Sandberg went in to discuss a scene in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which focuses on a dream that Billy Batson (Asher Angel) has in which he imagines Shazam and Wonder Woman on a date until that's cut short by the Wizard trying to speak with Billy and also pokes fun at the Superman cameo from the end of the first Shazam! movie.

"We have fun with that with the wizard scene with her head on his body, and that wouldn't have worked if she didn't show up again, because that would just piss people off," the director added before revealed that the dream was a nod to the aforementioned Superman cameo from the first film. "Absolutely. Yes. Because even when she does show up at the end, I first frame her with the head outside the frame, but it's just for like half a second before like, "No, no, she's here," so people don't get too upset and leave the theater or something. Like, "No, no. No more headless cameos."

What is the Shazam! Sequel About?

The next big movie DC Studios has coming out will be Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line describe the film as follows: "Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with having adult Super Hero alter-egos. But when the Daughters of Atlas, a vengeful trio of ancient gods, arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Billy—aka Shazam—and his family are thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of their world."

The film is being directed by David F. Sandberg (Shazam!, Annabelle: Creation) and produced by Peter Safran. Fury of the Gods was written by Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is in theaters now!

What do you think about the Wonder Woman cameo? Did you enjoy Shazam! Fury of the Gods? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!