Following the release of the new trailer for Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, the movie's director responded to fan complaints.
The second trailer for the March DCU film starring Zachary Levi dropped on Thursday, and some fans took to Twitter to make clear their distaste for the "many spoilers" in the new footage for Shazam 2, among other gripes.
The film's director followed suit, tweeting responses to various complaints from fans Friday.
Shazam 2 Director on Complaints
Responding to various Tweets from fans about visual consistency in the new Shazam! Fury of the Gods trailer, director David F. Sandberg defended and explained his work.
@FanCultureTalks on Twitter noticed inconsistencies in the Shazam 2 trailer, particularly pertaining to how things were mirrored.
The video posted by the account shows two inconsistencies. First, there is distinct battle damage on Shazam's left side in one shot, but then the battle damage is on the right in another.
Then, a close-up of Shazam shows him shooting out lightning with his left hand. But when the view changes to what appears to be a wide shot of the same scene, the lightning comes out of his right hand.
@FanCultureTalks questioned these two inconsistencies, prompting Sandberg to explain:
"I can [acknowledge this]. The first shot is mirrored by the trailer editor to cut better with him flying into the dragon (they’re separate scenes). The last shot is him firing lightning a second time, that’s why the staff leans like that. He put the staff in his left hand to shoot with his right."
Sandberg continued, explaining that it is common practice in trailers to "take ... moments ... from different parts of the movie and stitch them together" to make something "that flows nicely:"
"All trailers do this. They take shots, moments and dialogue from different parts of the movie and stitch them together into something that flows nicely as a trailer."
Separately, Twitter user @DareRider8 questioned the seeming lack of shadows in a shot showing the whole Shazamily all powered up.
In response, Sandberg explained that "you don’t get strong shadows in soft light," and showed a photo taken behind the camera to illustrate his point.
"You don’t get strong shadows in soft light. Here you can see the edge of where the big diffusion was above."
Responding to all the above complaints, and a Tweet from @seanpaune, Sandberg concluded by saying that if the gripes people have are with such minor things, "we’re doing something right:"
"If people’s biggest concerns are soft shadows and flipped shots then we’re doing something right I guess"
A Carefully Constructed Trailer
The responses from Sandberg seem to show that the director not only wants to clear the air about what may look like inconsistencies in his trailer but also cares about how fans feel about said trailer.
One comment on the Tweet from @FanCultureTalks from @steezeRNG reads:
"You have 80 followers, you don't need to be addressed by anyone about anything."
It would have been easy for Sandberg to ignore one account complaining about mirrored shots in a trailer, but he didn't. He took the time to respond and clarify, showing that he wants fans to understand what is really happening. He cares that there are not any misunderstandings.
If the movie is treated with a similar level of care and devotion, it will certainly be a favorite of Shazam! fans.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods releases in theaters on March 17.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
