Justice League Dark may have already lost two directors - Guillermo del Toro and Doug Liman - but the project is nowhere close to being dead. Warner Bros. announced during 2017’s San Diego Comic-Con International that it would be one of eight DC Extended Universe installments that will follow James Wan's Aquaman. Now there’s a new rumor that suggests that the shortlist of possible replacement directors has been narrowed to two candidates.
Beyond The Trailer's Grace Randolph learned from a studio source that Swedish director Daniel Espinosa and Kiwi director Gerard Johnstone are both in the running for the Justice League Dark director's chair. She trusts this source, who had previously informed her that Mel Gibson was in consideration to direct Suicide Squad 2, and Gibson later confirmed that it was true. Even so, it’s advisable to take it with a grain of salt, anyway. Check out Randolph's video below!
Espinosa is recognized in the film industry for his work as director of 2017’s sci-fi horror Life, which many believed was a prequel to Ruben Fleischer's upcoming Venom movie. He also called the shots for a few other movies, including Child 44, Safe House, and Easy Money.
Johnstone, on the other hand, has directed just one movie to date: the New Zealand horror comedy Housebound. However, it must be noted that the movie earned rave reviews from the critics, and has a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 97 percent.
Whoever lands the directorial job should have enough passion for Justice League Dark to see it through to the end. Last week, Liman – who once promised an "intimate…character driven" story – revealed to CinemaBlend that he never really developed much of an attachment to the project:
You know, I develop more movies than I make. There’s a weed-out process, and it’s just that when you get to the comic book one, suddenly everybody hears about them. So, the script never got to a place that was special enough for me. Not for lack of trying.
