Well this is something. Last month’sBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicekicked off Warner Bros.’ interconnected superhero universe in earnest, giving audiences a first look atBen Affleck’s Batman,Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman,Jason Momoa’s Aquaman,Ezra Miller’s The Flash, andRay Fisher’s Cyborg and teasing their various DC Extended Universe films to come. Most of those had already been set, withZack Snyderalready back in the director’s chair onJustice League,Patty Jenkins’Wonder Womanentering post-production, andJames Wanhard at work developingAquaman. There was also one other major superhero standalone in the works, aThe Flashmovie, but that project has now taken a step backwards as it’s lost its director over “creative differences.”
Last October, Warner Bros. setSeth Grahame-Smithto write and directThe Flashmoviestarring Ezra Miller. It was a surprising choice to say the least, as Grahame-Smith’s only directorial credits are helming two episodes of the MTV seriesThe Hard Times of RJ Berger, meaning the massive superhero tentpoleThe Flashwould mark his feature directorial debut. But now THR reports that Grahame-Smith has left the project due to “creative differences,” and Warner Bros. is beginning its director search anew.
The studiohadwantedThe LEGO MovieandJump StreetdirectorsPhil LordandChris Millerto helmThe Flash, but while they wrote a treatment for the project, the duo quickly became unavailable whenStar Warscame a-calling. Grahame-Smith worked off of Lord and Miller’s treatment to pen the script for the film, which THR says Warner Bros. will retain. That to me signals that the studio likes Grahame-Smith’s take, but maybe wants a more accomplished filmmaker to make the vision a reality.
There’s no major scramble here, asThe Flashisn’t even set for release until June 27, 2025 and star Miller is busy shootingJustice Leagueat the moment. So they have time to find a new director for the project, and if they’re keeping Grahame-Smith’s script, they won’t be starting from scratch.
But one does have to wonder if the reception ofBatman v Supermanhad anything to do with Grahame-Smith’s departure. The film suffered a critical shellacking and was far from the box office behemoth that Warner Bros. was hoping for (it’s yet to crack $900 million worldwide), so it’s possible the studio is doing a bit of retooling when it comes to the DC Extended Universe to come. Grahame-Smith always felt like a bit of an odd choice when it came to a project as big as this, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of filmmaker the studio sets in his stead.
In the meantime, Grahame-Smith remains in the Warner Bros. fold as he’s a writer onThe LEGO Batman Movieand is working on the screenplay forBeetlejuice 2. But now that Grahame-Smith is off ofThe Flash, who should take his place? Another newbie, a more established filmmaker, or someone in between? If they want someone with a comedic touch,Sleeping with Other PeoplefilmmakerLeslye Headlandwould make for an interesting choice. Sound off with your pick in the comments below.
