Shazam! director David F. Sandberg opens up about his time in the DC Extended Universe, sharing that he received death threats from angry fans. While promoting his new movie Until Dawn, the director discussed what drew him to the project, citing the creative script and its approach to bringing the video game’s story to life. However, there was a point in time when he wouldn’t have been interested in helming the movie. After his negative experiences in the DCEU, Sandberg swore off working on another project based on established IP, feeling that dealing with the fan reactions wasn’t worth it.
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“I mean, to be honest, fans can get very, very crazy and very angry with you,” Sandberg told GamesRadar+. “You can get, like, death threats and everything so after Shazam 2, I was like, ‘I never wanna do another IP-based movie because it’s just not worth it.’ But then I was sent this script, and I was like, ‘Ah, this would be so much fun to do, to do all these kinds of horrors? I kind of have to do it, and hope that the people see what we’re trying to do and like it.’”
Sandberg directed two Shazam! movies for the DCEU. The first came out in 2019 and was a well-received box office success ($367.7 million worldwide against a $100 million budget). Critics considered it a refreshing change of pace for the franchise with its playful tone, but Shazam proved to be a one-hit wonder on the big screen. 2023’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods saw diminishing returns critically and commercially. The sequel bombed by grossing only $134.1 million worldwide.
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After Shazam! Fury of the Gods came out, Sandberg stated he was “done with superheroes for now,” making clear his desire to return to his horror roots. At that time, he mentioned he wanted to “[disconnect] from superhero discourse online,” revealing that had taken a toll on him.
Passionate fan bases are why franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, and DC have endured for decades, but it’s easy to see why working in one of those sandboxes could be exhausting for a filmmaker. Fans are always eager to learn more about upcoming projects and obsess over every small detail. While that kind of enthusiasm can help a project like Shazam! become a hit, some people can take things too far. Given how widespread these fan bases are, it’s impossible for a director to please everyone, but there’s a stark difference between criticizing a movie and sending death threats to the person who made it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, though they should still be civilized in discourse. It’s not just superhero movies where this is an issue; something similar happened during development on Scream 7.
It sounds like Sandberg is completely done with comic book adaptations, which is a shame because he delivered something fun with Shazam! It would have been interesting to see him try his hand at another character down the line — perhaps something more horror-flavored in the MCU or DCU. In the meantime, time will tell how gamers reach to his adaptation of Until Dawn. The film makes some notable differences from the source material, which might not sit well with fans depending on how they’re executed. Hopefully, Sandberg doesn’t face further death threats from Until Dawn players.
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