After months of a lot of movement, there’s finally some news on “The Flash” front at Warner Bros., but none of it is very promising. The positive, if you want to call it that: ‘Flash’ star Ezra Miller is taking matters into his own hands and writing a new screenplay, and he’s enlisted DC Comics writer Grant Morrison to help. The bad news, Miller, has been clashing with the directors on the project, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who are coming off the very successful and critically well-received WB film, “Game Night,” plus the shine of writing “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Furthermore, WB is moving in a lighter, more comedic direction—which is precisely what The Flash character is fundamentally and why Daley and Goldstein, who again, already did this kind of thing with ‘Spider-Man,’ were tapped to direct the movie in the first place.
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In a move that seems very out of sync with the direction Warner Bros. and DC Films are taking, Miller is insisting on writing something darker even though as THR who breaks this news says the studio “favors” the lighter tone of the upcoming “Shazam!” movie and the “Aquaman” movie that just proved to be a billion-dollar hit for the studio.
Worse, Ezra’s deal to play the Flash expires in May, so it appears as though the actor is making a hail mary-like pass at making this work before it’s too late and everyone moves on. But if Miller and the directors are already clashing, why would they want to direct what sounds like his vanity project idea of the Flash that seems like a leftover vestige of the Zack Snyder-era of the DCEU which is dead and gone? It’s a bizarre move to be sure and frankly, don’t be surprised if Ezra Miller isn’t the Flash in a few months. THR’s report reeks of a studio given a star a shot at writing a script, but with little intention of making it unless it happens to be fantastic. But again, if the directors wanted something the opposite in tone and have succeeded many times with that tenor, why would they want to direct his version of “The Flash”?
Recent rumors this week said, “The Flash” is set for a November production start date, but it would take a miracle for all these stars to align correctly. If Miller is pushed out and the directors stay on board, they then need to recast and find an actor who is on board with the take they’ve already created. And or, find someone who wants the screenplay tailored to their strengths. I personally don’t see the Flash happening anytime soon, and the character going the way of Superman and Henry Cavill and put on the backburner once this seemingly misguided idea likely falls apart.
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WB has seemingly never been very confident about their belief in “The Flash” or Miller in the role, and the film has gone through countless versions. Once there was going to be a Phil Lord and Chris Miller version; then an idea by writer/producer Seth Grahame-Smith (“Prejudice and Zombies” and “Abraham Lincoln”); a take from the director of “Dope,” Rick Famuyiwa; then a Flashpoint DCEU reboot film, and then finally, Goldstein and Dailey who seemed perfect for the project given how they mixed thrills, action, and comedy so perfectly in “Game Night.”
READ MORE: WB Delays ‘The Flash’ Until 2021 With Script Issues & ‘Fantastic Beasts’ To Blame
Back to the basics: THR says the draft that Miller is writing with Morrison will determine whether he stays on board as the character. But with May around the corner, the clock ticking, Miller having never written a screenplay, WB moving in another direction and the studio never very clear what they’ve wanted with this character, it seems naïve to be optimistic. It sounds like more of a placating deal for the actor who is part of Warner’s “Fantastic Beasts” franchise and keeping him happy by letting him at least take one last crack at the code before he’s on his way to greener pastures. I’ll be shocked if this happens.
