Things have been hotting up for DCEU movies in the past few days, with many new posters and teasers getting dropped in the run-up to the DC Fandome event. After Matt Reeves shared a teaser and official logo forThe Batman,Shazam!director David F. Sandberg was also asked by fans on Twitter to provide some manner of an update forShazam 2, to which the filmmaker responded with a hilarious fake poster.
Following afake Shazam 2 teaser, the image shared by Sandberg uses the logo from the originalShazam!movie but has the words “Now the kids have facial hair” printed underneath it. The line is a reference to the much-delayed nature of the project. Filming forShazam! 2was supposed to begin this year, but the global lockdown scuppered those plans very effectively, and it is unknown when production will be allowed to begin again.
David F. Sandberg’s jokeimplies filming might be pushed so far into the future that the film’s teen and tween actors will become adults by that point. The very nature ofShazam!‘sstoryline necessitates a contrast between teenager Billy Batson and his siblings and the grown-up metahumans they transform into with the utterance of a magic word.
While work on the sequel has currently stalled, Sandberg had previously shared with fans hisplans for the upcoming film, and how they compare to his experience on past projects.
“On Lights Out everything was new and scary, and then Annabelle: Creation was such a great experience where it felt like, ‘OK, now I know how this works’. I’m hoping for the same thing on Shazam. The first one was like, ‘Oh shit, how do you do all these things? I’ve never done asuperhero moviebefore, with the visual effects and everything.’ Now it feels like I know how this works, so for the sequel we can have more fun and really get into it, you know?”
While plot details regarding the sequel are scant, fans have been able to surmise the direction ofShazam! 2based on the first movie itself. At the end ofShazam, the imprisoned Dr. Sivana is visited by an evil space worm known as Mister Mind. It is implied that the two will be working together to take over the seven magical kingdoms. But this time, they will have to contend not just with Billy Batson but his entire superpowered family.
Despite making his mark on Hollywood as a horror director, Sandberg was praised for bringing a welcome touch of levity and humor to the DCEU with the firstShazam!, and fans are hoping to see that tone sustained for the sequel as well. Hopefully, production on the movie can begin soon, so that the project manages to stay on track with its release date that has been announced for July 10, 2025.
Directed by David F. Sandberg,Shazam! 2will feature the returning cast of Zachary Levi as Shazam, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman and Asher Angel as Billy Batson.
