Shazam 2 Director Responds to Complaints about New Trailer

By Gillian Blum Posted:
Shazam! Fury of the Gods Zachary Levi

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.

A collage of two screenshots from the second trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The upper image shows Shazam in what looks like a garage holding a staff which has a glowing blue top. The left side of Shazam's red costume is burnt and damaged. A pink arrow points to the damage. The lower image shows Shazam in an arena looking up. The right side of Shazam's red costume is burnt and damaged. A pink arrow points to the damage.
DC

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.

A collage of two screenshots from the second trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The upper image shows Shazam in an arena with battle damage on the right side of his red suit. Lightning can be seen, presumably being shot out of his left hand (on the viewer's right). A yellow arrow points to the bolt of lightning. The lower image is a wide-shot of what appears to be the same scene, though the lightning is coming from Shazam's right side (the viewer's left). A yellow arrow points to the bolt of lightning.
DC

@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.

A screenshot from the second trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The Shazam family stand on a bridge outside, all powered up, looking like adults, in their superhero costumes. No strong shadows are visible.
DC

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.

A photo of the ground during the filming of the above shot from the second trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The body of a person can be seen to the left side, facing away from the camera. The legs of Shazam and Mary can be seen in the center. A shadow of a camera can be seen on the bottom of the photo.
DC

"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.

- In This Article: Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Release Date
March 17, 2023
Platform
Theaters
Actors
Asher Angel
- About The Author: Gillian Blum
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.