Shazam Director Returns for Until Dawn After IP Movie Backlash

You probably never imagined that David F. Sandberg, the director behind Shazam! and Shazam: Fury of the Gods, would return to helm another IP-based film or franchise. After the intense backlash from his previous DC Cinematic Universe endeavors, Sandberg himself thought his days with IP were over. Yet, with his new film Until Dawn set to hit theaters soon, he's opened up about the "very, very crazy" reactions to his past work and what drew him back to the world of IP.

"What I loved about the script [is] that it wasn't trying to recreate the game," Sandberg shared with GamesRadar+ about the beloved horror game turned film. "Trying to condense 10 hours into two, or something like that. But it is scary still, even though we're doing a new thing." He emphasized that even with a game property like Until Dawn, fans have strong opinions on how their favorite stories should be adapted to the screen.

"I mean, to be honest, fans can get very, very crazy and very angry with you. You can get, like, death threats and everything so after Shazam 2, I was like, 'I never wanna do another IP-based movie because it's just not worth it,'" the filmmaker admitted, reflecting on his DCU experience and its aftermath.

However, the potential of the Until Dawn story piqued his interest. "But then I was sent this script, and I was like, 'Ah, this would be so much fun to do, to do all these kinds of horrors? I kind of have to do it, and hope that the people see what we're trying to do and like it,'" Sandberg explained. "I really thought it was brilliant of the writers to come up with this time loop idea where the night starts over because then you do kind of get that feel of the game, when you're replaying it and making different choices. I think it's very much in the spirit of the game."

Sandberg understands the challenge of pleasing every fan when adapting an IP property, but his approach with Until Dawn aims to capture the hearts of its fans. "I think we would've gotten a lot of critique if we had tried to [recreate the game], because people would've been like, 'It's not as good. It's not the same actors, because, you know, they're older now,'" the Shazam director elaborated. "You wouldn't be able to better the game, so you'd just be in a losing situation."

Until Dawn was penned by Blair Butler and Gary Dauberman, the latter known for writing It: Chapter Two, and stars Ella Rubin. The film is slated for release in theaters on April 25, 2025.