Shazam Director Is Still Bothered By VFX Mistake 3 Years Later
Shazam! director David F. Sandberg confesses he is still bothered by a visual effects mistake from the original film three years later. The 2019 movie marked the DC Extended Universe debut of Billy Batson, an orphaned teenager who is chosen by the ancient wizard Shazam to be the new champion and defender of Earth by transforming into the adult superhero of the same name. While attempting to get a grip on his various new powers with foster brother Freddy Freeman, Batson must grapple with the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana as he becomes the human host for the Seven Deadly Sins and embarks on a quest for power.
Asher Angel and Zachary Levi led the cast of Shazam! as Billy and his adult iteration alongside Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy, Mark Strong as Sivana, Djimon Hounsou as the wizard Shazam, Faithe Herman, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews. Hitting theaters in early 2019, the film received largely positive reviews from critics and audiences alike for its lighter tone compared to other DCEU efforts, Sandberg's direction and the performances of Levi, Angel and Grazer. Though Shazam! saw this acclaimed reception, one creative is a little more self-critical of his work.
In response to the pitch of speeding through post-production on his upcoming sequel, Shazam! director David F. Sandberg took to Twitter to confess he is still bothered by a VFX mistake in the original film three years after it released. The mistake stems from the scene in which Sivana attacks his father, brother and company boardroom with the Seven Deadly Sins, with a slight bluescreen feathering visible around Mark Strong's hand upon a zoomed-in look at the shot. See Sandberg's post and the mistake below:
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Visual effects are one of the trickiest elements of any film to properly execute in attempting to believably capture what is trying to be digitally recreated. To Sandberg's credit, the Shazam! VFX mistake he points out is a very minimal and easy-to-miss moment that likely has only been caught by the most eagle-eyed of viewers as well as those already holding a knowledge of visual effects artistry. The fact that the director had to zoom in to properly highlight the mistake shows how small it was, but also speaks volumes to the dedication he brings to his craft.
Outside of the VFX mistake, it should come as a soothing note that the Shazam! director would prefer to take his chances at the box office against the long-gestating Avatar 2 than rush through post-production and risk another error. This VFX work recently resulted in a major shuffling of DCEU titles, with Shazam! Fury of the Gods moving up from 2023 to a December 2022 release while both The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom were delayed to next year while they work on their effects. While audiences wait for the return of Levi's hero, they can revisit the original Shazam! streaming on HBO Max now.
Source: David F. Sandberg/Twitter