Warner Bros. has finally brought on new filmmakers for its long-awaitedFlashpointmovie, withJohn Francis DaleyandJonathan M. Goldstein(Vacation,Game Night) entering negotiations to direct. The studio had previously been courting Ben Affleck to direct this movie, and while he ultimately passed, that may have explained the rumor from last month that the actor will return as Batman in theFlashpointmovie, but not inThe Batman, with his involvement in that project still very much up in the air. Warner Bros. had no comment on the story, and while it may be some time before there’s confirmation, it seems clear theFlashpointmovie is finally back on the right track.
The project has had more than its fair share of ups and downs, withThe LEGO Moviedirectors Phil Lord and Chris Miller first tapped to direct this project a few years ago, but they ultimately had to bow out when they landed the coveted gig of directingSolo: A Star Wars Story. They were ultimately replaced by Seth Grahame-Smith, who was best known as a screenwriter and would have been making his directorial debut, but he backed out in April 2016. Just a few months later in June 2016,Dopedirector Rick Famuyiwa came aboard, while hisDopestar Kiersey Clemons later signed on to playIris Westand Billy Crudup came aboard to play Barry Allen’s father. It was revealed in September 2016 that the script was finished, and everything looked to be on the right track, until Rick Famuyiwa left the project in October 2016, and the project has been without a director ever since.
Writer Joby Harold (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) came aboard to provide apage-one rewriteofThe Flashscript in January 2017, which reportedly takes the story in a new direction. It was in July, seven months after Joby Harold came aboard, that it was confirmed this would be aFlashpointmovie, adapting an iconic story line from the DC Comics that was written by Geoff Johns, and has been adapted on the small screen in The CW’sThe Flash. The story follows Barry Allen as he travels back in time, to try and prevent the death of his mother, but when he returns to the present, his mother is alive, but the rest of the world around him has changed so drastically.
There was talk back in October that, if theJustice Leaguemovie was anbox office failure, thisFlashpointmovie won’t happen, but even thoughJustice Leaguedid put up the worst numbers of all the DCEU movies, the studio is still moving forward withFlashpoint. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan has frequently hinted that he could be playing Batman in thisFlashpointmovie, saying in one interview that he has his “eye” on a role in the DCEU. He hasn’t said what role that may be, although he has publicly expressed his interest inFlashpointbefore.
There has also been talk thatWonder Womancould return in thisFlashpointmovie, with another report claimingDiana Price may be a villainin this movie. None of those story details have been confirmed at this time, but now that the studio has finally found their directors, we should learn more soon.Varietybroke the news on these directors today, stating that the studio took their time to find a director, because star Ezra Miller is currently shootingFantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwaldfor the studio. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein made their directorial debut with New Line’sVacation, which they followed up with this spring’sGame Night, starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, which hits theaters March 2. They are no stranger to the superhero genre though, having written the script for Sony’sSpider-Man: Homecoming. Their other writing credits includeHorrible Bosses,Horrible Bosses 2,The Incredible Burt WonderstoneandCloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2.
