Shazam Director Returns for Until Dawn After IP Movie Backlash

You might have thought that after directing Shazam! and Shazam: Fury of the Gods, David F. Sandberg would steer clear of another IP film or franchise. However, with his new film Until Dawn set to hit theaters, Sandberg is opening up about the intense backlash he faced with his DC Cinematic Universe projects and what ultimately drew him back to the IP world.

"What I loved about the script [is] that it wasn't trying to recreate the game," Sandberg shared with GamesRadar+ about adapting the beloved horror game Until Dawn into a 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 when working with a game property, fans have strong opinions about how their favorite stories should be portrayed on 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 director admitted, reflecting on his DCU experience and its aftermath.

Yet, 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 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."

Until Dawn was penned by Blair Butler and Gary Dauberman, known for his work on It: Chapter Two, and stars Ella Rubin. The film is slated to premiere in theaters on April 25, 2025.