It’s officially official:John Francis DaleyandJonathan Goldsteinare directingThe Flashmovie. News broke in January that theHorrible Bossesscreenwriters had entered negotiations to directFlashpointfor Warner Bros. and DC, but during the press rounds for their hit action-comedyGame Night, the filmmaking duo clarified that their deal to directThe Flashmovie wasn’t closed—meaning it was always possible things might not work out. But sources close to the situation have confirmed to Collider that Daley and Goldstein have now closed their deal to directThe Flash, and Daleysent out a tweetsaying as much, so they are now officially signed on to direct the standalone DC movie.
This film has been in the works at Warner Bros. for some time now, with the intention forJustice Leagueto introduce audiences toEzra Miller’s Flash character, followed by his solo movie. In the early days of development, back in 2015,Dark ShadowswriterSeth Grahame-Smithwas onboard to write and direct, but Warner Bros. subsequently replaced him withDopehelmerRick Famuyiwain the wake ofBatman v Superman’s release. Then, in November 2016, just a few months before filming onThe Flashwas set to begin, Famuyiwadropped out of the director’s chairover creative differences.
It’s unclear if Daley and Goldstein are working from an existing script or if they’ll jump in and do some scriptwork themselves, but the duo have proven adept at both writing a compelling superhero movie with a young hero (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and directing a cinematic, engaging action-comedy with a significant budget (Game Night).
Daley and Goldsteinrevealed exclusively to Colliderlast month that Warner Bros. approached them about potentially directing a DC movie based on the strength of their work onSpider-ManandGame Night, and Daley explained that they sparked to The Flash for a very specific reason:
“Just the fact that the character is unique from other superheroes in that he doesn’t completely have his shit together like Superman does. It’s more of a ground-level superhero.”
While there have been growing pains, Warner Bros. is taking great strides to get the DCEU on the right course, and Daley and Goldstein seem like a swell choice to bringThe Flashto the big screen.Game Nightgarnered positive reviews and got off to a solid start at the box office—especially considering it opened the week afterBlack Panther—and quality-wise is simply a really strong showcase of the duo’s directing potential.
While Warner Bros. previously announced the title ofThe Flashmovie asFlashpoint, alluding to a time-travel-centric arc from the comics, it’s always possible Daley and Goldstein are starting from scratch and could be taking the story in a different direction. All we know for sure right now is that Daley and Goldstein are directing, and with their deal secure we should hear more news aboutThe Flashmovie in the coming months.
For a complete list of upcoming DC movies,click here.
