SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS Director Reveals Movie's Place In DCU And Whether The Hero Will Eventually Return

2023 is shaping up to be a strange year for the DCEU. After all, the shared world is on its last legs, with Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom all that's left of the previous era of storytelling before DC Studios reboots its comic book franchise as the DCU. 

As a result, it's hard to get excited about any of these movies, especially knowing they will likely be the last time we see these actors as their respective characters. 

Responding to an unenthused fan on social media, Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg suggested there may well be a future for Zachary Levi's Big Red Cheese in the DCU...providing fans turn out to watch the sequel later this month. 

"He definitely won’t [return] if people don’t go see the movie," the filmmaker explains. "What I’ve been told is that there’s nothing in the Shazam films that contradict the future plans for DC. So the possibility for more Shazam is there and if that’s what you want your best bet is to go see the film." 

In a separate social media post on Instagram, Sandberg dismissed claims DC Studios has made sweeping changes to his movie and reiterated that the Shazam! sequel could find a place in the DCU.

"The finished movie was delivered end of October last year, so right before he officially began the job. Sure, sometimes productions can add scenes or do changes very last minute but nothing has changed on Shazam. It's a freestanding story and they've told me it doesn't affect or interfere with future DC plans so no reason to change anything."

Given the near record-low opening weekend projections for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, we have a feeling 2023 will likely mark the final time we see Shazam on screen for a while. Levi and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran are close friends, but all signs point to the DCU only making use of characters previously used by James Gunn in The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods arrives in theaters on March 17.