DC Films could really use a victory or at least a glimmer of good news. Yesterday, Joss Whedon bailed on directing “Batgirl“ after admitting he simply was unable to crack the story. That announcement followed a grim end to 2017 with the release of “Justice League,” a hodge-podge disaster of two directors’ vision that underperformed at the box office. The studio, who once promised upwards of three pictures of year, currently only have one slated for 2018 (“Aquaman“) and two for 2019 (“Shazam!” and “Wonder Woman 2“) with nothing on the distant horizon but an endless array of projects in various stages of development (frankly, there’s way too many to list here).
Well, you can count “The Flash” (aka “The Flash: Flashpoint“) as yet another DC vehicle that still can’t quite get started. The film has already been through two directors — Seth Grahame-Smith and Rick Famuyiwa — but seemed to finally have things sorted out last month by hiring John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who were fresh off writing “Spider-Man: Homecoming” for Marvel. However, the picture is still fuzzy.
The duo have revealed to THR that they haven’t started work on “The Flash” because, technically speaking, they still don’t have a contract in place.
“We’re still negotiating,” Daley said. “Deals are in the works right now.”
“Hopefully, it will work out,” he added.
Daley and Goldstein are currently enjoying great reviews for “Game Night,” which is a Warner Bros. picture. So, they’re already on the lot, but I’d imagine the pair (and their agents) are waiting to see what the box office numbers look like come Monday morning. If they’re good, it puts them in an even better place to negotiate, particularly if even more opportunities open up for Daley and Goldstein elsewhere.
All this to say, “The Flash” — which WB had at one point hoped to release this year — could still be a long ways off.