Shazam! franchise director David F. Sandberg is responding to cynical reports that his next movie in the series Shazam!: Fury of the Gods is being delayed so it can be retooled like the rest of the upcoming slate.
From Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to The Flash, there are stories and rumors claiming reshoots and rewrites are underway to change the plots and overall essences of these films. This has led some to believe the Shazam! sequel is suffering through the same fate.
Sandberg dispelled this speculation in an Instagram story where he assured everyone that reports put forward about any “retooling” are false. “No. I’ve seen reports that Shazam is being ‘retooled’ but it’s not true,” he said.
It was added the final cut has been locked down for some time now and all Shazam! 2 needs is some fine-tuning before the film debuts in theaters. “The cut has been locked for quite some time and we’re doing final mix, color, and vfx right now,” Sandberg said.
“Everyone is happy with the film and we’re not going to work longer on it just because of the release date shift,” he continued. “They figured Aquaman’s previous release date was better for us and that’s the reason we moved.”
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Aquaman’s follow-up was originally scheduled for release next March but is now coming out in time for Christmas of 2023. Fury of the Gods takes the vacant March slot which is a good move as it no longer has to compete with Avatar 2.
Warner Bros. Discovery is reshuffling its DCEU deck to, in CEO David Zaslav’s words, get the movies right and ready for a theatrically focused release. That’s the official narrative but, with reshoots taking place that reintroduce Ben Affleck into the picture, prolific scoopers Syl Abdul and Mikey Sutton question it.
They hear and report the reshoots are part of rewrites pushed for by Zaslav that will restore the Snyderverse timeline and bringing back Affleck to the cape and cowl of the Batman is part of the plan. Likewise, Henry Cavill is rumored to be “all in” for a return to the Man of Steel starting in Black Adam and with more appearances to come in crossovers and solo movies.
That means major changes are incoming but it sounds like Shazam! is safe from all that — especially the dreaded reshoot trend — based on Sandberg’s testimony here. “Definitely not shooting more,” says the filmmaker.
So it’s just a matter of playing the waiting game until Shazam!: Fury of the Gods premieres in theaters on March 17, 2023.
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