Shazam Director Returns for Until Dawn After IP Movie Backlash

You might not have expected to see David F. Sandberg, the director behind *Shazam!* and *Shazam: Fury of the Gods*, take on another IP film or franchise anytime soon—and neither did he. However, with his new film *Until Dawn* set to hit theaters, Sandberg is opening up about the intense backlash he faced from his previous DC Cinematic Universe projects and what drew him back into the world of IP films.

"What I loved about the script [is] that it wasn't trying to recreate the game," Sandberg shared with GamesRadar+ about the adaptation of the beloved horror game *Until Dawn*. "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 fans of IP properties can be highly 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 reflected on his DCU experience and its aftermath.

Nevertheless, the potential of the *Until Dawn* story intrigued him enough to reconsider. "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 that not every fan can be pleased when adapting an IP, but his approach aims to capture the essence of *Until Dawn* effectively. "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,'" he elaborated. "You wouldn't be able to better the game, so you'd just be in a losing situation."

*Until Dawn* is penned by Blair Butler and Gary Dauberman, the latter known for his work on *It: Chapter Two*, and features Ella Rubin in the cast. The film is scheduled to premiere in theaters on April 25, 2025.