When it comes to superhero films, it could be said that Shazam! and Logan are the polar opposites of each other. The former is silly and playful, while the latter is dark and gritty. Yet, despite these differences, the two films still share an interesting commonality; one that many viewers may not initially pick up on at first glance.
Shazam! director David F. Sandberg recently took to Twitter to elucidate this congruence, explaining that both movies utilized toys and merchandise as a means to acknowledge their respective superhero worlds. In the same way that the X-Men comic books shown in Logan exist in the same world where the X-Men are real entities, the Batman and Superman toys shown in Shazam! exist in the same world where the very superheroes such toys are based on fully exist as living and breathing individuals.
Sandberg stated that he never actually had a discussion with Zack Snyder before he included the Easter eggs in the 2019 film. He just knew from the get-go that he wanted to give a nod to other superheroes in the DC Extended Universe in a way that offered an acceptable degree of realism. However, he did not compromise the zany essence of Billy Batson's story in the process.
To achieve this, Sandberg used action figures and conversations between youthful characters to address the existence of other superheroes in Billy's world. The most notable example of this is when he referenced the battle in Batman vs. Superman (which would have happened prior to Billy Batson's origin story) using the scene of a kid playing with Batman and Superman action figures. In Logan, a similar strategy was employed wherein the events of previous X-Men movies were referenced using old comic books that portrayed a much more whimsical reality compared to the gritty state of film.
In Billy Batson's world, everyone is familiar with Batman and Superman. Everyone knows who the Justice League is and people are obsessed with superheroes; so much so that there is a high demand for their merchandise. With that in mind, the people in Billy Batson's world are just like us, and by using toys and merchandise to illustrate that, Sandberg successfully delivers a sense of realism that makes Billy's story all the more engaging.
Of course, Zachary Levi's stellar performance as Shazam! helped contribute to that realism too. When asked about Levi in a previous interview, Sandberg said he perfectly captured the enthusiasm and excitement of a child while other candidates dumbed themselves down in order to portray a child. Levi will get another chance to bring his enthusiasm to the role in the upcoming Shazam! sequel.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is set for release in theatres on June 2, 2023.
Source: David F. Sandberg/Twitter