'It' Filmmaker Andy Muschietti In Talks To Take Over As 'The Flash' Director As John Francis Daley And Jonathan Goldstein Exit

It director Andy Muschietti is in talks to take over directing duties for the long-embattled The Flash solo movie. The film, which had come to a standstill over creative clashes between star Ezra Miller and former directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, has been jolted back to life as Daley and Goldstein depart the project, while Miller stays on. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Muschietti, who made a splash with his 2013 directorial debut Mama and shot to stardom with 2017's hugely successful It adaptation, is in talks with Warner Bros. to direct The Flash solo movie starring Ezra Miller. Muschietti's partner and sister, Barbara Muschietti, will reportedly produce the film, joining Michael Disco on the project.

Muschietti boards The Flash as Game Night's Daley and Goldstein, who wrote drafts of the script and were slated to direct the film, departed the project. However, Ezra Miller stays on as the nimble superhero, which suggests that the actor won out in the creative clash with the former directors. Miller had reportedly been at odds with Daley and Goldstein over the tone of the film, favoring a "darker" approach while the writing-directing duo, who joined the project in 2018, preferred a lighthearted take. However, Miller's version of the script that he co-wrote with comics legend Grant Morrison won't be picked up by Warner Bros. either — instead the studio has hired Christina Hodson, the screenwriter behind Bumblebee and the upcoming DC movie Birds of Prey, to pen the script.

It's unclear too whether bringing Muschietti on board will fulfill Miller's darker vision for the movie either, as the big-hearted Shazam shows that a horror director doesn't necessarily equate to a darker film. But it seems that Warner Bros. is finding success in hiring horror directors for their DC superhero projects, on the heels of Shazam's David Sandberg (Lights Out) and Aquaman's James Wan (The Conjuring). Muschietti has shown with It that he has a talent for crafting sweet, emotionally fulfilling coming-of-age stories, so perhaps he will bring a light touch with some darker underpinnings to The Flash.

THR notes that the deal for Muschietti to direct has not been finalized yet. The goal is to begin prep for The Flash by January 2020.