David F. Sandberg | |
|---|---|
 Sandberg in March 2019 | |
| Born | (1981-01-21)21 January 1981 (age 44) Jönköping, Sweden |
| Other names | ponysmasher |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Spouse | |
David Fredrik Sandberg (born 21 January 1981) is a Swedish filmmaker. He came to prominence for writing, directing, producing, editing, and scoringno-budgetshorthorror films, which he released online under the pseudonym "ponysmasher". The most popular of these,Lights Out (2013), received afeature film adaptation in 2016, marking hisfeature-lengthdirectorial debut. He has since directed the filmsAnnabelle: Creation (2017),Shazam! (2019),Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), and the2025 film adaptation of the video gameUntil Dawn.
David F. Sandberg was born inJönköping on 21 January 1981. His younger brother, Joakim, is a video game developer best known as the creator ofIconoclasts.[1] He attended Torpa School, where he met his future wifeLotta Losten when they were both around 11 years old, and they later attended Junedal School together.[2][3] He grew up watching films and making his own films using his father'sVHS-C camera. He worked in a video store as a teenager, where he saved up money to buy his owncamcorder for filmmaking.[4][5]
In his late teens, Sandberg began working as an intern at Film i Jönköping, a local film center in Jönköping. He learned more about filmmaking from Svante Rosberg, the film commissioner who ran Film i Jönköping when he started, and whom Sandberg considers his mentor.[5] Starting in 2006, Sandberg found moderate online success making animated short films; according to Sandberg, his first online successes were his filmsFör Barnen andVad Tyst Det Blev, the latter of which garnered 1.7 million views onYouTube. As a result of his increased visibility, he began to receive offers for animation work; his first job was working as a consultant on the TV showMyggan [sv] on the SwedishChannel 5.[6]
He continued working at Film i Jönköping, primarily working on documentary projects. From 2006 to 2009, he worked on several documentaries for theSwedish Inheritance Fund.[7] His last collaboration with Rosberg before his retirement wasAnimera = Göra Livlig, a 2010 documentary about senior citizens creating animated films.[8] In 2009, he moved to the city ofGothenburg. He continued working on animation and documentaries, and began collaborating with producer Claes Lundin. In 2011, they completed and sold an animated documentary series calledEarth Savers, and in 2013, their documentary shortLadyboy premiered atCinequest Film Festival.[4][9]
In 2013, he began to shift his focus away from animation and documentary works and towards short horror films. According to Sandberg, his original goal with filmmaking had been to make horror and sci-fi films, and he felt he needed to have some existing work in that field in order to get funding for future work. Lacking any funding of his own, his shorts were made withno budget: his equipment and props consisted mostly of items he already had or could buy very cheaply, and his only cast and crew were himself andLotta Losten, his wife. He released his films on bothVimeo andYouTube, using his alias "ponysmasher".[5] He then released his second horror short,Lights Out (2013), which centered around a monster that only exists when the lights are turned out.[10] The film was a viral success, and quickly garnered millions of views. According to Sandberg, his life changed "in every way imaginable" afterLights Out; he began receiving tons of messages from film industry people who wanted to work with him.[11]
One of these contacts wasLawrence Grey, a producer who wanted to adaptLights Out into a feature-length film. Grey brought screenwriterEric Heisserer and producerJames Wan on board to collaborate and produce a script with Sandberg, who would also direct the new feature.[12] The film (also titledLights Out) began production in mid-2015, and premiered atLA Film Festival in June 2016. The film was a massive box office success, grossing $148 million on a $5 million budget,[13] and a moderate critical success, earning a 76% approval score onRotten Tomatoes and a 58 out of 100 score onMetacritic.[14][15] Sandberg next directedAnnabelle: Creation, a prequel to supernatural horror filmAnnabelle and the fourth film inThe Conjuring Universe. The film was released in 2017 to positive reviews and box office success.[16][17][18]
In 2019, Sandberg directed theDC Extended Universe superhero filmShazam!, based on theDC Comicscharacter of the same name. The film received positive reviews.[19] In April 2019,TheWrap reported that Sandberg would direct a sequel forNew Line Cinema calledShazam! Fury of the Gods.[20][21] In 2023, after the release ofShazam! Fury of the Gods, Sandberg stated he was "done" with the superhero genre and expressed a desire to return to horror.[22]
Sandberg is set to direct and produce the horror filmThe Culling with his wifeLotta Losten through their production company Mångata. The film will be distributed byLionsgate.[23] He is set to direct the film adaptation ofCullen Bunn and Jack T. Cole's graphic novelThe Unsound[24] and thrillerBelow,[25] both forNetflix. He is currently attached to direct and produce the2025 film adaptation of the video gameUntil Dawn.[26]
Sandberg met actressLotta Losten in the early 1990s, when they were both around 11 years old, and they later began a relationship before marrying in 2013. She has featured in many of his short films, includingLights Out.[27] They have lived inLos Angeles since 2015.[28]
Sandberg was diagnosed withatypical autism as a child, but has since expressed an interest in the possibility that he was misdiagnosed.[29][30] He has also been open about his struggles withdepression.[31][32]
Director
Uncredited acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Shazam! | Travis,Mister Mind, Crocodile-Men | Voice role (as Travis and Mister Mind) and performer (as the Crocodile-Men)[33][34][35] |
| 2023 | Shazam! Fury of the Gods | Mister Mind | Voice role |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Cinematographer | Editor | Composer | Actor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Vad tyst det blev... | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Role: Boy (voice only) Also sound department |
| 2011 | Animera = Göra livlig | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Documentary short |
| 2012 | The Drawing Box | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Role: David/David's Brother |
| 2013 | Ladyboy | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Documentary short |
| Cam Closer | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
| Lights Out | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| 2014 | Pictured | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| Not So Fast | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Role: Man | |
| Coffer | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
| See You Soon | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2015 | Attic Panic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Role: Ghost |
| 2016 | Closet Space | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Role: David |
| 2020 | Shadowed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Role: Man Also visual effects |
| Not Alone in Here | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Role: Man | |
| 2023 | Cam Closer II | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Year | Title | Director | Composer | Animator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Earth Savers | 6 episodes | 5 episodes | 2 episodes | Documentary series |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
