After a string of delays befell DC's upcoming theatrical slate, one project that came out looking better than before the push was Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The super-powered sequel's release was actually moved up, unlike its other Warner Bros. cohorts. This reshuffling of the DCEU has many fans scratching their heads; however, the Shazam! team seems to be making lemonade from these Hollywood lemons.
Fury of the Gods looks to be an even bigger adventure for Billy Batson and co, as the group of youngsters suits up as a superhero team. This time though, the threat is bigger than ever, as Hollywood royalty Helen Mirren joins the cast as the villainous Hespera.
Other than Mirren's involvement and the return of a couple of other familiar faces, still not much is known about the DC sequel. But with this new release date, more and more info will start to trickle out regarding the project.
But what could this move up mean for the future of the DCEU, or even the events within Fury of the Gods? Well, the film's director has come forward looking at how one aspect will be affected by the change.
A New Excuse for New Suits
Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg tweeted after the film was a part of DC's recent release date shake-up, joking about how he was planning on justifying the new suits seen in the film.
As the Shazam! sequel was originally supposed to release after The Flash, Sandberg was originally going to attribute the costume changes to "Barry [messing] with the timeline."
Now that Fury of the Gods comes out before Flash, the director jokes that he is going to put the blame on "the wizard:"
"Shazam 2 never addresses why their suits are different now. If anyone would ask my plan was to say it’s because Barry messed with the timeline but now we come out before Flash so I’ll say the wizard did it.
Pro filmmaking tip: Put a wizard in your movie to be CinemaSins proof."
It's the Wizard's Fault
When in doubt, blame the wizard. This tweet is sure to rile up fans who are looking for justification for these new suits being in Fury of the Gods.
However, it is quite funny to watch Sandberg play with the expectation of the comic book audience to have every detail explained on screen. This is particularly the case with YouTube channels like the aforementioned CinemaSins, who look for every mistake in major movies like this one.
The director's sense of humor is on full display here, and he knows exactly what he is doing. Audiences don't need some sprawling explanation as to why these suits came into existence.
Why did Andrew Garfield's wall-crawler have a new get-up going from TASM to TASM2? Because new super-powered outfits are cool! That is all the justification the world needs.
Maybe in Fury of the Gods, there will be a little mention of these new looks (similar to how they justified Batman's new suit in The Dark Knight), or maybe it won't. Either way, fans will be excited to see these upgraded digs when they are draped across the silver screen.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods hits theaters on its new release date of December 16, 2022.
