The long struggling The Flash film may be floating back to relevance, as Warner Bros. is reportedly considering It: Chapter One director Andy Muschietti to helm the project, while Bumblebee and Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson may pen the script. Ezra Miller is also apparently still attached to play the titular character.
If talks are successful, Muschietti and Hodson will be replacing John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who wrote an earlier draft of the script and were slated to direct the film. Likewise, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. will not be using the script written by Miller and Grant Morrison that the duo put forward after creative differences arose between the actor and Daley and Goldstein.
The Flash has endured an epic journey befitting a superhero just to get to this point. The film was originally announced in 2014, but immediately slipped into uncertainty after director Seth Grahame-Smith departed the project. Dope director Rick Famuyiwa was Warner’s next candidate, but he too dropped out of the movie shortly after being recruited, leading to Daley and Goldstein’s appointment.
It seems now the project will be starting from scratch, or at least with enough of a fresh slate to count Hodson as head screenwriter. Daley and Goldstein reportedly departed the project amicably, but only after several months of conflict regarding the tone of the film. While Miller was holding out for a darker take on the Flash, Daley and Goldstein were pushing for something more lighthearted.
While offers have not officially gone out to Muschietti and Hodson, their addition could serve as a olive branch for Miller, who had been considering vacating the superhero role. While Hodson penned the scripts for the decidedly lighthearted Bumblebee and the upcoming Birds of Prey, Muschietti’s adaptation of It: Chapter One was dark, but came across more as a horror-themed thriller. Perhaps the two will be able to put their heads together to find a premise that incorporates both the dark and light aspects of the DC Universe character.
Interestingly enough, Warner Bros. has pivoted to hiring horror directors for its superhero movies over the last several years. Aquaman was directed by James Wan, best known for creating both The Conjuring and Saw franchises. Similarly, David F. Sandberg, who directed Shazam!, got his start with the surprise horror hit Lights Out in 2016.
The Flash is reported to enter pre-production in 2020.