‘Shazam!’ director zaps out from DC Universe after 'death threats'

Shazam! director David F. Sandberg was forced to quit DC Universe with a cult fan following pushing him back to his horror roots.

After facing the wrath of fans, including death threats, following the release of Shazam! in 2019 and its sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods in 2023, the director is convinced to never again make movies based on a pre-existing story, character, or concept.

"I never wanna do another [intellectual property] IP-based movie because it’s just not worth it," he told GamesRadar. "Fans can get very, very crazy and very angry with you. You can get, like, death threats and everything."

Sandberg, who first made waves in Hollywood with his feature directorial debut in 2016 horror hit Lights Out, transitioned into the superhero genre with the original Shazam!, which became a commercial and critical success.

However, the sequel, starring Zachary Levi, struggled at the box office and was met with mixed reviews.

Levi pointed to toxic online behaviour as a major reason for the film's failure, blaming "online hate, haters, trolls, and factions" for its poor reception.

Shortly after the sequel’s release, Sandberg, 44, posted (in a now-deleted message) on social media, writing, "As I've been saying for a while now, I'm very eager to go back to horror (as well as trying some new things)..."

"After six years of Shazam, I'm definitely done with superheroes for now," the director who boasts Conjuring Universe's Annabelle: Creation under his credits, added, noting to both his exhaustion and heartbreak after fans furry.