DC Comics fans still hope to see Shazam and Superman face-off/team-up on the big screen someday, and while it might well happen, it doesn't sound like Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg has much interest in working with The Man of Steel... at least, not anymore!
During an Instagram AMA (via ComicBook.com), Sandberg revealed that he would have been happy to direct the next Superman movie if the opportunity arose, but was put off by the size of the iconic hero's fanbase
"At one point I would have said Superman," said the filmmaker when asked if he'd ever consider making a Justice League or Superman movie. "But when there are so many different expectations and hardcore fans, you're going to piss off so many people no matter what you do. Seeing how people react to things like The Last Jedi makes me want to stay away from things like that. Shazam! was perfect in that there hadn't been that many adaptations before. There are still people who think it was done wrong, but it was on a manageable level."
Of course, Superman did (technically) appear in the first Shazam! movie, but only for a brief shot from the neck down. As things stand, the main DCEU doesn't actually have an active Man of Steel, though rumors persist that Henry Cavill is in talks to reprise the role.
The Shazam! sequel will see the return of Zachary Levi as the titular superhero, along with Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Meagan Good as Darla, Ross Butler as Eugene, Grace Fulton as Mary, D.J. Cotrona as Pedro and Adam Brody as powered-up Freddy. They'll be joined by Rachel Zegler, Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu as the villainous daughters of Atlas.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods is set to hit theaters on December 16, 2022.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.