Few expected David F. Sandberg, director of Shazam! and Shazam: Fury of the Gods, to helm another franchise film—truthfully, neither did he. Yet as Until Dawn prepares for its theatrical debut, he's opening up about the intense criticism surrounding his earlier DC Cinematic Universe projects and why he chose to revisit studio-driven IP.
"The script appealed to me precisely because it didn't attempt to replicate the game," Sandberg told GamesRadar+ about adapting this beloved horror title. "Condensing ten hours into two would've been impossible. Instead, we've crafted something fresh while maintaining genuine scares." He acknowledged the passionate—sometimes extreme—expectations fans bring to adaptations.
"After Shazam 2's reception, with fans sending death threats, I swore off IP projects," confessed the director, reflecting on DCU's harsh backlash. "The toxicity simply wasn't worth it."
Until Dawn's premise ultimately changed his mind. "This script hooked me—the chance to explore horror tropes through a clever time-loop device that mimics the game's branching narratives? I had to take it," Sandberg revealed. "The writers brilliantly preserved the game's spirit by letting characters relive their nightmare with new choices each cycle."
"Adaptations inevitably disappoint some fans," Sandberg noted. "Had we done a shot-for-shot remake with aged original actors? Critics would've torn it apart for failing to match nostalgia." His solution? Respect the source material while forging new ground.
Penned by Blair Butler and It: Chapter Two scribe Gary Dauberman, Until Dawn stars Ella Rubin and hits theaters April 25, 2025.
