Existential brooding, changed men who squint at the horizon while the kontemplerar their own Messiasroll. So they have Wagnerskt grand superhjältefilmerna – as the ”Man of steel”, ”Justice league” – from the Marvelkonkurrenten DC often seen.
”Shazam”, directed by swede David F Sandberg, is something else. It is colorful, childlike playful: when the supervillain to keep his fateful speech at the end of the movie is he so far away that no one hears what he says. In many ways, is ”Shazam” a hilarious deconstruction of the entire genre.
” a Bit so it is. The character is more playful, in that it is about a child turning into an adult, which gives the film a different perspective. And at this point, there have been so many superhero films there are many cliches and themes that twist and turn, ” says Sandberg.
in the costly blockbusterfåran, with a budget of close to one billion sek, is somewhat incredible. Only five years ago, he had just released his two-and-a-half minute short debutskräckis ”Lights out”, which became a viral success.
” It has really gone better than I hoped for. My plan was to make some little shorts to show the Swedish Film institute and Film I Väst in order to get the money for a longer short film. Then maybe get to make a feature film in sweden, and then far in the future to take me to Hollywood. Instead, I had to jump fourteen steps in advance.
”Shazam” based on the comic book about Billy Batson, a young orphan boy who turns into a superhero every time he utters the word ”Shazam”. The think that on paper sounds like a superhjälteversion of the Tom Hanks classic ”Big” from 1988 – about a young boy who suddenly wakes up and is man, but with the boy, preserved inside itself – the extra water on the mill of the film’s slagsmålsscen on a pianogolv inside in a toy shop.
– the film studio contacted me and pitched into the project as ”’Big’ with super powers”. It sounded great, because who doesn’t want to see how the children are using the super powers: the first thing he does is put up the youtube clip on it.
Photo from ”Shazam”. Photo: Steve Wilkie
it is a big step to sit at the reins for a project worth billions.
– The big difference is that when doing small projects, you already know in your head how something should be. Now I need to communicate with lots of different departments how I think of the stunts or special effects, and it can be difficult to do with words – I drew scenes on paper or demonstrating with the toy figures, while I filmed myself: ”And so the slamming he to him, so he flies like this…”
the Film goes up on the cinemas in the beginning of april, but in each scene it’s snowing, and it begins to the strains of Bing Crosbys version of jullåten ”Do you hear what I hear?” Initially, it feels confusing feltajmat – until you realize that it is a film about an orphan boy who finds a new family and a new context.
” Christmas is about family and being together, which belongs together with the theme. I knew the whole time that the film would arrive in april so I was a little worried that ”soon will the studio realize that there is a julfilm and delay the release to christmas”, but it has not done. It is not necessarily a julfilm but the story is set around christmas as a cut ”Die hard,” he says and laughs.
Zachary Levy in a scene in ”Shazam”. Photo: Steve Wilkie/AP
coverage. Many other great filmfranchiser – as the ”Star wars”films or Marvelfilmerna – has sat relatively inexperienced filmmakers in the regissörsstolen so that they will not dare to obstinate so much, but instead obey filmstudions producers and their rules. I ask if he had a hard time getting their will through.
” No, it was actually quite freely. You have heard the horror stories in Hollywood about filmstudiofolk that all the time sitting next to and comment on, but it really has not been so.
While Marvel claimed technology with ruthless efficiency got DC behind. ”Man of steel”, ”Justice league”, ”Suicide squad” were as disjointed or pretentious, and several planned movies in the DC universe have been reported as discontinued.
” I was very happy to ”Aquaman” went so well at the box office. It felt like that ”Then people will not feel that all of DC’s future hinges on ’Shazam’”. But also the reactions to the previews we’ve had have been good, that the film gets applause and laughter.
As Swedish looking even glance after the director’s national footprint. And very real: the first Billy Batson is doing when he transformed into full-grown man is to go and buy the beer. If you look enough you will see that the beer is of the fictitious brand ”WORN”…
” I wanted to have something Swedish. And as they say, ”this tastes like vomit!” after drinking a sip, I could not use a real brand of beer, because they would never want to have that kind of exposure. I pondered a while on whether the beer would be called ”BEER” but there is apparently an indian beer called. So… the ”WORN” worked just.
And speaking of Swedish imprint in the world of film – Sandberg shares a name with another Swedish film director who joined from virally nätfenomen to Hollywoodkarriär: ”Kung fury”-director David Sandberg.
” That’s why I added the F:et that middle name. I usually get e-mails going to him, and when he’s now doing Hollywoodversionen of ”Kung fury”, I have begun to get Twitterfrågor about when the movie will be released. It is a pain when you get mail and it says ”love your work”, for then one begins to think: ”now Wait, what works? Which David are you looking after?”
