Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg responded to a round of fan criticism hurled in his direction regarding his choices for the DCU sequel.
Shazam 2 had more than its fair share of issues upon its release, underperforming immensely at the box office while only earning a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes - a rating that didn't live up to the original Shazam!.
Sandberg even admitted during the sequel's theatrical run that he "knew what the box office tracking was looking like," not feeling too shocked to see the financial numbers not living up to expectations.
He's also offered his own feelings of surprise to see such negative reviews, although he recently showed that he's not afraid to address that negativity head-on when necessary.
Shazam 2 Director Tackles Fan Harassment
Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg responded to a couple of harassing comments from fans on Twitter after his work on the DCU sequel.
One fan asked why Sandberg was "ruining [his] movie" after posting a video of a scene using a double for Jack Dylan Grazer's Freddy, with Sandberg simply saying he enjoyed discussing his process:
"I like talking about filmmaking and how and why things were done"
Another viewer complained about Sandberg "[including] a scene from the first movie," which was reshot for the sequel with the Shazam family's new costumes.
"Y tf did you include a scene from the 1st movie at all, u idiot? U know what takes even less time? Not refilling a scene u already have… just 2 make it look worse… Plus the sheer stupidity of including a scene from the 1st movie anyway. If we want 2 see that scene we’ll watch the 1st movie. So your excuse is, we didn’t make him fly because I knew I was a shitty director….? Weird flex."
Sandberg took the funny route with this comment, admitting how much this decision upset some fans:
"Sure does make some people quite upset though. Never flash back to a previous movie!! If the audience wanted to see that they’d watch the previous movie!!"
The director responded to another comment about the suits that noted how "all the 2019 suit fans...have appeared," making it clear that he just wanted to "try something new" and not do "the same old thing again:"
"Not at all. I don’t think the old suits were bad, I mean they were based on my specifications after all. But why not try something new rather than doing the same thing again. Like the hood was cool but we weren’t going to use it so let’s try a design without it."
Sandberg also explained that he's putting a video on hold for some time that he'd announced on April 6, not wanting "to deal with whatever bullshit and misinterpretations" that come as a result:
"I think I'll hold off on publishing this video for a bit. I just don't feel strong enough to deal with whatever bullshit and misinterpretations I'm sure will come of it. Sorry for the tease. But check out 'Shazam 2,' out now on digital. And here's a clip for now:"
Shazam 2 Director's Struggles With New Superhero Sequel
Although Sandberg didn't get much support in promoting his movie from Warner Bros. on occasion, he's had plenty of other challenges from the fan side of things as well.
This also isn't the first time fans have complained about deepfake concerns, as other commenters had problems with part of how Wonder Woman's cameo in the Shazam! sequel was filmed.
With Shazam 2 already fast approaching the end of its theatrical run as well, these comments are likely to keep coming towards Sandberg, although the director has taken the criticism in stride as he enjoys the fruits of his labor in the DCU again.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now available for purchase digitally.
