Among the many bumps in the road Warner Bros. endured in the post-“Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice” shakeup of its DC Extended Universe franchise was the loss of director Seth Grahame-Smith for “The Flash.” The early word was that his exit was due to “creative differences,” but it was later said that WB wanted a more experienced hand behind the camera, rather than a first time feature filmmaker. Now it seems WB has secured just that.
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Rick Famuyiwa has been tapped to direct “The Flash” starring Ezra Miller. The project will be working off a treatment from Phil Lord and Chris Miller, which has been turned into a script by Grahame-Smith that Famuyiwa will now helm. A report from Deadline suggests the screenplay might have more work done to fit into the youth-oriented vision the director is bringing to the table.
As usual, there will likely be some segments of fandom griping that Famuyiwa “has never directed a blockbuster!” which is an argument that should no longer be valid after Anthony and Joe Russo have shown what they can do over at Marvel. Moreover, Famuyiwa’s “Dope” showed the kind of energetic verve that will be a great fit for “The Flash,” as well as the entire DC film slate. If WB is aiming to lighten the relentlessly grim tone set by Zack Snyder, they found the right guy to do it.
“The Flash” opens on March 16, 2018.