You probably never imagined that David F. Sandberg, the director behind Shazam! and Shazam: Fury of the Gods, would dive back into another IP film or franchise — and he certainly didn't expect it either. Yet, as his latest project, Until Dawn, gears up for its theatrical release, Sandberg is opening up about the intense backlash he faced from his previous DC Cinematic Universe projects and what ultimately drew him back into the world of IP.
"What I loved about the script [is] that it wasn't trying to recreate the game," Sandberg shared with GamesRadar+ about the transition of the beloved horror game to film. "Trying to condense 10 hours into two, or something like that. But it is scary still, even though we're doing a new thing." He emphasized that, even when working on a game adaptation, IP fans have strong opinions about how their favorite stories should be portrayed on screen.
"I mean, to be honest, fans can get very, very crazy and very angry with you. You can get, like, death threats and everything so after Shazam 2, I was like, 'I never wanna do another IP-based movie because it's just not worth it,'" the filmmaker candidly admitted, reflecting on his DCU experience and its aftermath.
However, the compelling narrative of Until Dawn changed his mind. "But then I was sent this script, and I was like, 'Ah, this would be so much fun to do, to do all these kinds of horrors? I kind of have to do it, and hope that the people see what we're trying to do and like it,'" Sandberg explained. He praised the script's innovative time loop concept, which echoes the game's replay mechanics and decision-making. "I really thought it was brilliant of the writers to come up with this time loop idea where the night starts over because then you do kind of get that feel of the game, when you're replaying it and making different choices. I think it's very much in the spirit of the game."
Sandberg is well aware that pleasing every fan when adapting an IP is nearly impossible, but his approach aims to resonate with Until Dawn enthusiasts. "I think we would've gotten a lot of critique if we had tried to [recreate the game], because people would've been like, 'It's not as good. It's not the same actors, because, you know, they're older now,'" the Shazam director explained. "You wouldn't be able to better the game, so you'd just be in a losing situation."Penned by Blair Butler and Gary Dauberman, known for writing It: Chapter Two, and starring Ella Rubin, Until Dawn is set to hit theaters on April 25, 2025.
