The Flash film has had its fair share of director issues, first losing Seth Grahame-Smith last year and then Rick Famuyiwa earlier this year. With a page one re-write in effect, fans have been wondering who would take over the reigns and now it appears we have answers. According to The Wrap, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter Robert Zemeckis, Matthew Vaughn & Sam Raimi are the front runners to direct DC Films, The Flash.
While the directors have yet to receive an offer, they face a few hurdles to land the job. Vaughn wants to jump into filming Kingsman 3 and Zemeckis wants to film his untitled upcoming film with Steve Carrell. DC probably wants to get this film on the right track and may want to wait for either of these legendary directors to accept the gig. THR claims that Warner Bros. are willing to wait for Zemeckis while, Variety claims they’re more inclined to go after Vaughn because they would like to shoot in 2017. Raimi doesn’t have anything huge coming up over the next year, so depending on what happens in the future he might have the best shot.
The film has been in stasis since losing director Rick Famuyiwa, putting its original spring 2018 release in jeopardy. The downtime has given the studio time to rework the story in a new direction. Another reason the film is on ice currently is because the delay in filming bumped up against star Ezra Miller’s commitment to Fantastic Beasts 2, which shoots this summer.
The original script was written by Seth Grahame-Smith for him to direct, until he abandoned that post. The latest draft comes from Famuyiwa himself, and that script is apparently the reason WB executives grew uncomfortable with him as a director, leading to his exit. Famuyiwa’s hiring was praised but his departure was met with disappointment in equal measure. It’s encouraging they’re not rushing out the film with a second-rate director and instead trying to get the script right first.
Despite the delays and changes, Kiersey Clemons and Billy Crudup remain attached as Iris West and the hero’s father. Sounds like love of the material and/or contractual obligations to me. Both are great castings and it would be a shame to lose either. Harold has previously written a Twilight Zone script as well.
“Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes — Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash — it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”
The Flash is currently unscheduled. Miller, who cameoed in both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad last year, can next be seen as the Scarlet Speedster in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, where he joins forces with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Cyborg to fight Steppenwolf, in theaters November 17, 2017.
