Superhero movies may have become commonplace, but DC's live-action universe has had a particularly fascinating road to theaters. Tons of projects have been announced over the past few years, although quite a few have also been cancelled in the process. But there are a handful heading to theaters, starting with Aquaman and Shazam! The latter is about to head into reshoots, with some fans worrying about what might be altered.
Reshoots have become almost a curse word for DC fans, as they plagued Justice League and resulted in the film's lackluster final product. Rumors indicated Shazam! reshoots happening for a variety of reasons, and now director David F. Sandberg has addressed them directly, saying:
All normal stuff. No changing the tone, removing DC references or whatever else theories are out there.
Well, that seems pretty cut and dry. Hearing fans' concerns about the Shazam! reshoots, David F. Sandberg laid out what's being worked on now that production has started back up. More specifically, he detailed what definitely was NOT being adjusted for his upcoming DC blockbuster.
David F. Sandberg's Shazam! update comes from his Twitter, where the filmmaker regular communicates directly with the fandom. Shazam! is a major gig for Sandberg, with his movie able to reach a massive audience due to the popularity of the genre. As such, he's often fielding questions from moviegoers about the DC movie.
Moviegoers' feelings toward reshoots is somewhat fascinating, as the new obsession begun just in the last few years. Blockbusters have absolutely massive budgets, so reshoots are usually worked into the schedule from the jump. But after seeing a few movies drastically changed due to these type of reshoots, the fandom has some trepidation when it comes to additional filming.
This is especially true for DC fans, given how Justice League turned out. Director Zack Snyder departed the project in the wake of a family tragedy, with The Avengers and Buffy director Joss Whedon completing the film. But in the wake of Batman v Superman's lukewarm critical reaction, Whedon reportedly tried to lighten the tone with his expensive reshoots, and the blockbuster was a frankenstein film when it finally arrived in theaters.
Anticipation for Shazam! was pretty steady, but it really picked up once the first trailer debuted during San Diego Comic-Con. It showed a fun, youthful tone unique to the superhero genre, and fans are eager to see more footage as the movie approaches theaters. From David F. Sandberg's comments, it seems like nothing unexpected has popped up to change in Shazam!, and the new footage will simply help bring the upcoming movie together in a cohesive way.
Shazam! will arrive in theaters on April 5, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
