The Flash Movie Picks Up Third (!) Writer

Eza Miller thinking this may not have been such a good idea.

Warner Bros has just hired a third writer to work on its upcoming solo movie for The Flash. As I have previously reported, the studio has had some trouble finding a creative direction for DC’s fastest hero. Originally, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies scribe Seth Grahame-Smith was attached to write and direct, but he left citing that old classic “creative differences.” His replacement, Dope director Rick Famuyiwa, would also depart after his rewrite didn’t land with executives. Now, for the third and hopefully last time, a writer, one Joby Harold, has been tapped to do a page one rewrite of the film. Harold’s star appears to be on the rise recently. Another one of his scripts has been adapted Guy Ritchie’s action-packed retelling of King Arthur, due out later this year, and he also served as executive producer on the criminally underrated 2014 sci-fi thriller Edge of Tomorrow. I want to be hopeful that this will turn out well, but the DC Extended Universe hasn’t endowed me with an abundance of confidence to date. Let’s just hope they give Harold more than six weeks to write this one. In the meantime Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman and Zack Snyder’s Justice League are both due out later this year.

Ben Affleck May Not Direct Solo Batman Film

Our first story of the year is picking up pretty much where 2016 left off - the DC Extended Universe being a hot mess! After thinly veiled shots by Flash actor Ezra Miller and Alien Covenant director Ridley Scott, the latest person to cast doubt on nobody’s favorite cinematic superhero universe is Batman himself. In a recent interview with British outlet The Guardian, Ben Affleck gave a lukewarm at best update on his upcoming batman film. When asked about the movie’s progress, Affleck acknowledged that there was still a project in existence but was pretty mum on when audiences would be seeing it, or even if he’d be in the director’s chair. The problem is fairly clear from this quote: “...it’s not a set thing and there’s no script. If it doesn’t come together in a way I think is really great then I’m not going to do it.” This is not the first time Affleck is on the record about the story lacking punch. Earlier reports covered how he pressured the studio to push the film’s release date back, unwilling to move forward with a story that didn’t work. Can’t really argue with his logic here; the DCEU’s movies haven’t exactly been praised for their storytelling up to this point, with critics slamming both Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad for confusing character choices, villains with questionable motives, and gaping plot holes. A lot has already been written about the chaotic writing process for these films, particularly Suicide Squad and its expensive reshoots, so I won’t rehash that here. The bottom line is Warner Bros. has a decision to make: stop rushing these movies out to make the exhausting release schedule, or resign themselves to telling half-baked stories with second- and third-choice directors.