Say what you will about Marvel, but they have a well-oiled blockbuster machine. Kevin Feige has perfected their process of bringing together all kinds of talent — actors, directors, writers — and getting them on the same page for each movie. Sure, some have been irked here and there by the process where individual creative choices tend to be muted for the greater good of a four-quadrant movie (see Alan Taylor and “Thor: The Dark World,” for example), but by this p0int, everyone knows what they’re in for when signing up for a Marvel project. The same can’t really be said for DC Films. From misjudging the tone of their films out of the gate (“Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice“) to leaning on reshoots to try and course-correct (“Suicide Squad,” which David Ayer is already admitting he has some regrets about), there is a sense that Warner Bros. and the comic shingle are still finding their footing. Further proof? Just look at “The Flash.”
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Originally slated to shoot this March, the film has gone through two directors already: Seth Grahame-Smith and Rick Famuyiwa, with both exiting over creative differences (though some reports have said the former’s inexperience was also a factor). Once set to be released in 2018, that date is now out the window as Warner Bros. and DC Films are going back to the drawing board with “The Flash.”
Variety reports that Joby Harold (whose CV includes Guy Ritchie‘s frequently delayed “King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword,” and the gritty “Robin Hood” reboot starring Taron Egerton) has now been tasked to do a page-one rewrite of the script for “The Flash.” And you can probably bet this will be a big overhaul, as Warner Bros. apparently didn’t like Famuyiwa’s script and story, which is one of the reasons why he wound up bouncing.
A new director has yet to be found for “The Flash,” but that probably won’t happen until the screenplay is finished anyway. But an equally sizable problem for Warner Bros. to overcome in the months ahead is convincing fans that they actually have a firm handle on what they’re doing with the character and this movie.