'Shazam 2' director on facing James Cameron's 'Avatar 2' at box office: 'He should be very scared...'

'Shazam! Fury Of The Gods' is an upcoming DC superhero movie that is scheduled for a release window that pits it against James Cameron's 'Avatar: The Way of Water' that is almost certainly sure to be the biggest movie of the year. 'Fury Of The Gods' brings back David F Sandberg, who also helmed 2019's 'Shazam!'. Apart from him, Zachary Levi, who portrayed the adult version of the titular superhero, also returns.

Sandberg, who is otherwise known for directing horror films like 'Annabelle: Creation' and 'Lights Out', has spoken about facing a titan like Cameron in the battlefield of box office returns.

He joked while speaking to Slash Film, "He should be very scared. This is the end of James Cameron. (laughs)"

He the added more soberly, "No, I think it's actually good, because they're such different movies. I mean, look at the first 'Avatar.' There were other movies that came out at the same time and did really well ... especially at Christmas ... everybody knows that 'Avatar' is going to be, like, the biggest movie ever. I'm going to go see it. But yeah, there's room for 'Shazam!' too."

The 'Shazam' franchise is about an orphan kid called Billy Batson who is bestowed with magical powers by an ancient wizard. He gains Solomon's wisdom, Hercules' strength, Atlas' stamina, Zeus' power, Achilles' courage, and Mercury's speed. In the first film, Billy was assisted by his friend Freddy to figure out his powers. Thanks to Bily, his foster siblings also gained powers in the end. 

Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, and Djimon Hounsou will also return. Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, and  Rachel Zegler join the franchise with this film.

'Shazam!' received highly positive reviews, scoring 90 per cent on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus read, "An effortlessly entertaining blend of humor and heart, Shazam! is a superhero movie that never forgets the genre's real power: joyous wish fulfillment."

'Shazam! Fury Of The Gods' will release on December 21, 2022.

Before 'Shazam! Fury Of The Gods', Dwayne Johnson will make his superhero debut with 'Black Adam', who is traditionally a supervillain of 'Shazam'. But in the film, he will be more like an anti-hero and is expected to face Shazam! in a future movie. 'Black Adam' is scheduled for a release on October 21.