Among the various DC Comics projects that Warner Bros. have been developing over the years is
The Flash. Last we heard on the movie,
Green Lantern scribes Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim were working on the script. With the
Justice League movie likely being the Fastest Man Alive's big screen debut, WB will probably release a solo
Flash spin-off if the DC assembly is successful enough.
The Flash is a tricky character to get right on the big screen. Despite rumors that it'll be a darker take on the Scarlet Speedster, I'd prefer if the film was a full-on action comedy. Below, I have listed six (err, seven) directors who I think are capable of doing The Flash justice in his first movie.
Chris Miller/Phil Lord
21 Jump Street
The directing duo released their surprise hit action comedy reboot
21 Jump Street earlier this year, proving that they're experienced enough in the genre to take on a comic book movie. The two have been hired by Warner Bros. to direct their
LEGO movie, which is set for an early 2014 release and will actually feature cameos from Batman and Superman. So if that film is well-received, I can see WB wanting to hire Miller and Lord to direct a bigger project.
Shawn Levy
Real Steel
Levy was actually attached to helm
The Flash a few years ago, but left because he wanted to have more experience before directing a big movie like that. I would love for him to come back and direct this movie. He's proven that he can handle both action (
Real Steel) and comedy (
Night At The Museum) very well, something which is essential for
The Flash. It also helps that he's a fan of the character, and wants to see the movie's script done right.
Edgar Wright
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
I'd be surprised if Wright would be interested in directing a DC Comics movie any time soon, seeing that he'll soon film
Ant-Man for Marvel Studios. But there's no denying that his usual directing style would be perfect for a
Flash movie. Wright can make an action/comedy film excellently and actually make it fun/light-hearted (I had a blast with
Scott Pilgrim). These ingredients would conceive the perfect
Flash movie.
Andrew Stanton
Finding Nemo
Stanton recently made his live action directorial debut with this year's
John Carter, which ended up being quite the bomb at the box office (although the movie was far from terrible, and deserved to do much better financially). While Stanton did a solid job directing the sci-fi epic, I think he'd be better suited for
The Flash. He can easily direct colorful films (
Finding Nemo) and excels at character development (
WALL-E).
Ruben Fleischer
Zombieland
This is probably the most unusual choice on the list. Fleischer previously directed two R-rated comedies before helming the recently delayed
Gangster Squad for Warner Bros. If WB want to have
The Flash be a darker action comedy, then Fleischer would be a very solid choice. He can certainly direct a dark comedy without abandoning the fun factor (a la
Zombieland). I can see WB wanting to hire Fleischer for a bigger project if
Gangster Squad is a success.
Josh Trank
Chronicle
Out of all the directors on this list, Trank is probably the least likely to be hired to direct
The Flash (any time soon at least), due to his being attached to several projects (including Fox's
Fantastic Four reboot). Hopefully he'll have time to direct a DC film in the near future. The young director has only directed
Chronicle, but with that low-budget found footage film, he proved himself to be one of the best new directors in recent years. So I'll be looking forward to anything he puts out in the future. Plus, Trank is attached to helm the comic book adaptation
Red Star for WB, so if that film is a big enough success for the studio, hopefully the director will be hired to helm a DC film.
Well, that's my list for who I think Warner Bros. should consider for their
Flash movie whenever they decide to move forward with it. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments and to vote on the poll below.
This is my third editorial in my "Directors" series. I really appreciate a lot of feedback that you guys have given in my prior installments, and hope to keep adding to this series for a while.
Click HERE to check out my Wonder Woman directors editorial, and HERE to read my Justice League directors editorial.