You probably never expected to see Shazam! and Shazam: Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg take the helm of another IP film or franchise, and neither did he. However, with his new film Until Dawn set to hit theaters, Sandberg is reflecting on the intense backlash he faced from his previous DC Cinematic Universe projects and what ultimately 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 acknowledged that, even when adapting a game property, IP fans are extremely particular about how their favorite stories are 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 admitted, reflecting on his DCU experience and its aftermath.
Yet, the potential of the Until Dawn story intrigued him. "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 said. He praised the writers for their innovative approach, noting, "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 that it's impossible to please every fan when adapting an IP property, but his approach seems tailored to win over the Until Dawn community. "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, penned by Blair Butler and Gary Dauberman—who is also known for writing It: Chapter Two—and starring Ella Rubin, is set to premiere in theaters on April 25, 2025.
