SPOILERS for Shazam ahead.
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Shazam! director David F. Sandberg has offered a behind the scenes look at his cameo as one of the Crocodile Men. The DC Extended Universe film has quickly become a success, earning strong reviews and more than doubling its budget at the global box office so far. Unsurprisingly, Warner Bros. has already gotten the ball rolling on the sequel, which will build on the first movie's mid-credits introduction to the villainous caterpillar, Mister Mind. Shazam! writer Henry Gayden is currently working on the followup, with Sandberg expected to officially sign on as director any day now.
In the meantime, Sandberg is keeping busy entertaining fans with more Shazam!-related trivia. It had already been revealed that the director appears in the movie as one of the Crocodile Men, who are shown playing cards behind one of the doors that Billy Batson and his foster siblings open in the Rock of Eternity (while they're being chased by Sivana and the Seven Sins). Now, Sandberg has provided a glimpse at the process that he went through to become one of those reptilian men.
Sandberg posted a series of images to his Instagram account, showing him being fitted for a mold for his Crocodile Man mask. The post also includes a pair of clips where the filmmaker tries out the mask's animatronics, along with a short video that offers an up-close look at one of the mask's motorized eyes. You can check the whole thing out in the space below.
Funnily enough, Sandberg's cameo could payoff in a big way in Shazam! 2 or another future DCEU film. In the New 52 comics (which Shazam! draws from), the Crocodile Men hale from a region of the Seven Magical Realms known as the Wildlands, where animals walk around talking and wearing clothing just like humans from our world. Of course, there's no guarantee that magical land will show up in the Shazam! sequel, given how expensive it would be to bring to life on the big screen. Part of the reason the first movie's a success is because Sandberg was able to keep its budget down to a manageable $100 million, so WB might prefer to continue that approach with the followup. If so, it's unlikely Billy and his family will be exploring The Magiclands anytime soon in the DCEU.
Either way, this is a fun glimpse behind the scenes at Sandberg's cameo and one of many playful DC easter eggs in Shazam!. It's also a testament to just much Sandberg clearly enjoyed making the movie, and all but assures that he'll be back for more on Shazam! 2. Whether he shows up dressed as an anthropomorphic reptile again or tries his hand at playing another fantastical creature in the sequel, of course, remains to be seen.
Source: David F. Sandberg