Shazam Director Gets Honest About Franchise’s Future, And How Fans Can Help Keep It Alive

The first of 2023’s four upcoming DC movies is almost here, with Shazam! Fury of the Gods coming out four years after the superhero formerly known as Captain Marvel finally made his feature film debut. However, Fury of the Gods’ release comes relatively shortly after DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran announced the first round of plans for the DC Universe Chapter One, a.k.a. Gods and Monsters. As such, David F. Sandberg, the director of both Shazam! movies, has shared his honest take on the Shazam! franchise and fans can help keep it alive.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods, along with The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, still reside within the DC Extended Universe continuity, whereas August’s Blue Beetle has been described by James Gunn has been “disconnected” in the DCEU. As a result of the changing DC media landscape over the next few years, a fan told Sandberg he didn’t feel like seeing Fury of the Gods because this “uncertainty” with DC is “just killing the vibe of this film.” When this fan asked if Shazam will have a role in the DC Universe, Sandberg answered on Twitter:

So if you enjoyed the first Shazam! movie and would like to see more of Billy Batson after Shazam! Fury of the Gods, make sure you see the sequel in the theater. As David F. Sandberg has heard, the World’s Mightiest Mortal could slide into the new DC Universe continuity pretty easily. Granted, there were a bunch of DC references and name-drops peppered into Shazam!, but evidently those can be reimagined to be referencing the DC Universe versions of those characters rather than the DCEU ones. Evidently this even applies to Superman’s cameo in Shazam!, as this moment was captured with a stand-in actor being framed from the neck down. That was originally supposed to be Henry Cavill’s Superman, but going forward, that could instead be the Man of Steel from the upcoming Superman: Legacy.

Basically, David F. Sandberg wants the fans to know that Zachary Levi’s version of Shazam isn’t automatically destined to be shelved after Shazam! Fury of the Gods comes out. The more people who go to see the sequel, the better the chances of Shazam! 3 being made are, along with the hero potentially popping up in other projects. Varying sources estimate that Fury of the Gods could make between $35-40 million or $43-52 million during its opening weekend, though either way, that’s less than what Shazam! pulled in during its first days in theaters. Maybe those predictions will become more optimistic as we move closer to its release.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which comes out on March 17, sees Billy Batson and his fellow superpowered siblings clashing with the daughters of Atlas, who are comprised of Helen Mirren’s Hespera, Lucy Liu’s Kalypso and Rachel Zegler’s Anthea. Make sure to stream Shazam! with an HBO Max subscription ahead of seeing the sequel, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more coverage on DC movies.