Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg says that his DC Universe sequel is likened to a Marvel Studios movie with the Avengers.

Shazam! is the DC Universe’s movie. David F. Sandberg, Fury of the Gods director compared the upcoming sequel with a Marvel Cinematic Universe entry featuring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Sandberg said that ” Fury of the Gods” is like a mini-Avengers film.” Because there are so many characters, that’s how I saw it. It has all these characters, villains, and monsters. It’s complex. You can only shoot up to 11 characters per scene. Where are you going to put them all? It’s very difficult!”

Sandberg discussed the bigger scope of Fury of the Gods as compared to the first Shazam! film in 2019, which had a larger budget. Sandberg was well-prepared for this due to his history of making small horror films like Lighting Out or Annabelle: Creation. The director explained that in the first film, the budget was less and the movie was smaller. “It felt like, ‘We can’t really compete against the other superhero movies for scale and action, so we need to focus on character, humor – what makes it unique. We had more resources to make this movie comparable to the other superhero movies.

The World’s Mightiest Family Returns To the Big Screen

The sequel will focus further on the heroic accomplishments of the World’s Mightiest Family as well as their efforts around Philadelphia. Sandberg hints that the Shazam family still hasn’t mastered the superhero business like the Avengers. He stated that [Fury of the Gods] is still Shazam’s movie, but it’s also all about the family. The Shazam Family is made up of teenage crime fighters. “They have all been superheroes for a long time, trying to stop crime. They aren’t very good at it. The Philly Fiascos have been given the nickname.

DC Studios’ formation has left Shazam’s future uncertain. Sandberg had previously stated that, while there are more Shazam! movies, the franchise’s fate is dependent upon fans seeing Fury of the Gods. The sequel is expected to have an average opening weekend. It currently has a domestic opening weekend estimated at $35 million. These numbers may change as the film releases closer to release.

Star Zachary Levi hinted similarly that future appearances in the role of the Big Red Cheese will depend on Fury of the Gods’ success. The actor suggested that Shazam would play a “really special” role in Gunn, Safran’s DCU in the future. However other Shazam-centric projects were not announced.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods opens to the public on March 17.