If anything goes wrong on any level with the DCU from here on out, then fans aren’t going to lay the blame anywhere other than at James Gunn‘s door, so it was inevitable the co-CEO would end up being scrutinized before Shazam! Fury of the Gods has even been released.
While David F. Sandberg’s sequel doesn’t operate as part of the franchise’s rebranded vision, it hasn’t been ruled out from being welcomed into the fold with open arms once Chapter 1 – Gods & Monsters continues to take shape. Of course, star Zachary Levi won’t get so far ahead of himself, but there’s nonetheless a distinct lack of buzz as we gear up for the film’s release in less than two weeks.
Warner Bros. hasn’t exactly been pushing the boat out when it comes to marketing campaigns as of yet, but despite being the successor to one of the DCU’s best-reviewed and most profitable installments, Fury of the Gods is tracking for one of the weakest box office runs the shared universe has ever seen.
As a result, Redditors have been debating whether or not Gunn can be implicated should the worst happen and Shazam! 2 bombs at the box office, leading to a typically divisive response. He’s going to get finger pointed at him regardless, but the distinct lack of hype and excitement for what should be a fun-filled time at the theater being overshadowed by the fact everyone knows the DCU is in the formative stages of a complete do-over can’t unequivocally be deemed as a problem of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker creator’s making.