You probably never imagined seeing Shazam! and Shazam: Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg take the helm of another IP film or franchise again—and neither did he. However, with his new film Until Dawn set to hit theaters, he’s reflecting on the intense backlash surrounding his previous DC Cinematic Universe projects and what motivated him to dive back into 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 something new." He also acknowledged that, even with a game property, IP fans have strong opinions about how their favorite stories should be brought 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 elaborated on his DCU experience and its aftermath.
However, the intriguing potential of Until Dawn's story drew him back in. "But then I was sent this script, and I was like, 'Ah, this would be so much fun to do, to explore 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 said. "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."
The filmmaker understands that it's impossible to please every fan when adapting an IP property, but his approach seems tailored to capture the hearts of Until Dawn 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 explained. "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, known for writing It: Chapter Two, and stars Ella Rubin. The film is slated to premiere in theaters on April 25, 2025.
