Everyone knows that the people in charge should lead by example, so if James Gunn is happy to bite back at trolls calling him out when it comes to his DCU duties, then Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg is well within his rights to do the same seeing as the person that’s technically his new boss has already set the precedent.
We’ve been waiting a long time for Zachary Levi’s second outing as the title hero, which already faced plenty of pressure on its shoulders as the sequel to one of the franchise’s most successful movies. Not only is Shazam! the DCU’s second top-rated title on Rotten Tomatoes behind only Wonder Woman, but it’s also one of the most profitable after hauling in $366 million at the box office on a budget reported to be less than $100 million.
Originally scheduled for release in April of this year, Fury of the Gods is currently on its fifth (and hopefully final) release date of March 17, 2023. The first trailer received an enthusiastic reception when it was first unveiled to the masses, but some newer footage has raised the ire of the trolls, forcing Sandberg to step in and clear the air.
To be fair, it’s difficult to argue that the “hero saying the thing they just did out loud” scenario could really benefit from being swept under the rug and never spoken of again, but at least we now know that it won’t be part of the next promo. Putting on our tinfoil hats for a second, does that mean Sandberg has taken the criticism on board, or was he always planning to cut it out?