The DCEU nabbed horror maestro David F. Sandberg to direct its upcoming Shazam movie. It’s eerily similar to the way James Wan went from his horror roots to direct Aquaman. Sandberg was out promoting his latest movie, Annabelle: Creation, when he opened up to the Toronto Sun about the direction he wants to take Shazam. The director revealed that he intends for it to be a “fun” and “lighthearted” movie within the DCEU.
Sandberg’s revelation means a shift in tone within the DCEU may be on the way, and Shazam will lead the way. The story of Shazam doesn’t really lend itself to a dark take like Zack Snyder took with Superman or Batman. It revolves around Billy Batson and his super alter ego, Shazam. There’s a ton of room for many comedic elements as well as an innocent coming of age story—maybe something similar to what Marvel did with Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Here are Sandberg’s full comments:
The big attraction for me with that character is the fact that every kid dreams of being Superman, right? I mean I certainly did, and (Billy Batson) is a kid that gets that chance. He gets to become the superhero. So, it’ll be big with superpowers in a way. In terms of what people can expect, I think this will be one of the more fun or lighthearted movies so far in the DC universe. It certainly will be a departure.
His statement suggests the DCEU will evolve as more characters are brought into the fold, and that’s a very good thing. As to what tone exactly Shazam will take on, we’ll find out when it hits theaters on April 5, 2019.