'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' director dismisses 'deepfake' allegations

Gal Gadot’s cameo in Shazam! Fury of the Gods was not a ‘deepfake’, director David F. Sandberg recently clarified.

Sandberg’s response comes after many fans were left confused by the ‘Wonder Woman’s appearance. The character appears as a deus ex machina just before the end of the film.

Wonder Woman arrives to restore Shazam to life being the only left with godly powers. However, subpar VFX work led to conjecture that Gadot’s appearance was made possible via deepfake technology.

“A certain cameo in ‘Shazam! Fury Of the Gods’ had to be shot in England, but I couldn’t go because of a visa issue so I directed remotely,” Sandberg wrote on Twitter alongside a video of himself remotely directing Gadot’s cameo scene.

“It wasn’t a deepfake as some believe.”

Gadot is visible on Sandberg’s computer monitors as he directs the cameo.

“We shot the scene with Taylor to figure out what coverage we then needed to get with Gal since she couldn’t make it to Atlanta,” Sandberg posted on Twitter.

“It’s also Taylor’s body with the wizard’s head on it. There is absolutely no deepfaking going on. When you see Gal it’s 100% her.”

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a DC Comics film based on character Shazam. It is a follow-up to Shazam! The film premiered on March 14, 2023.