Matthew Vaughn, Robert Zemeckis And Sam Raimi Have All Entered The Flash Movie’s Potential-Director Roulette

Matthew Vaughn, Robert Zemeckis And Sam Raimi Have All Entered The Flash Movie’s Potential-Director Roulette

Tune into The Flash any week and you’ll see that the protagonist is a great live-action character. When it comes to his big screen solo debut, however, things have had trouble getting up to speed. Now three top-tier directors are reportedly in talks for a job that no one seems too keen to keep.

Ezra Miller as The Flash, who may just get a director after all. Image: Warner Bros.

After actor Ezra Miller debuted the character in Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, two directors were attached to make The Flash solo film with a March 2018 release date. However, first Seth Grahame-Smith then Rick Famuyiwa boarded and left the DC production, sparking rumours of major problems. The film was then pulled off the schedule.

Rumours then started about other directors in the mix. The wildest was Screenjunkies reporting that Back to the Future and Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis was under consideration. However, he quickly signed on to a non-superhero film for Universal, which everyone assumed put him out of contention.

Not so fast.

The Wrap reports that Zemeckis is once again a potential candidate to direct the film — and Variety adds that Kick-Ass and Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn is also one of the studio’s top choices. Vaughn was also rumoured to be in the mix for Man of Steel 2, so we know Warner Bros. is interested in working with him. Then, The Hollywood Reporter added that Spider-Man director Sam Raimi is also under consideration.

Here’s the problem though. While all the directors are being considered, it would be difficult for some of them to make The Flash in a timely manner. Vaughn is finishing up Kingsman: The Golden Circle for a spring release and wants to do a third film in that franchise after that. Zemeckis has an as-yet-untitled drama with Steve Carell dated for November 2018, which wouldn’t make him free any time soon. And while Raimi doesn’t have any immediate public plans, he hasn’t done a feature since 2013.

According to the Hollywood Reporter story, Warner Bros. is willing to wait for Zemeckis if he wants to do it, making him the top choice. That makes sense considering his illustrious, Oscar-winning history. Variety also thinks Vaughn could just be using Warner Bros. as leverage to get Kingsman 3 made. So there’s definitely some wheeling and dealing going around.

Either way, the search for a director of The Flash continues. And hopefully, this one won’t bolt like the last two.

Miller’s Flash will next be seen in Justice League, out November 16.

[Wrap, Variety, THR]


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