Director Andy Muschitti is standing by The Flash. Released in 2023, the big DC Comics blockbuster was a major financial disappointment for Warner Bros. It was stuck in development hell for years after first being announced as Flashpoint in 2017. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver against sky high expectations and became one of the final nails in the coffin for the former DCEU. Even so, the filmmaker is happy with his work.
“We’re very proud of it. I think it’s a good movie,” Muschietti said recently to The Playlist while promoting his new HBO series IT: Welcome to Derry. Starring Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash, the movie also brought back Ben Affleck as Batman alongside Michael Keaton’s Batman in a multiversal adventure. Critics were mixed on the final product, which made just $271 million at the box office against a $200 million budget. That’s something Muschietti acknowledged, even though he enjoys the movie.
“A lot of people did not see it. But you know how things are these days — people don’t see things, but they like to talk s*** about it, and they like to jump on bandwagons. They don’t really know. People are angry for reasons that are unrelated to these things…Of course, we had a publicity crisis with Ezra that is undeniable. And I’m not questioning that. But yeah, we love the movie. And actually, we really recommend it.”
“This may seem immaterial now, but we also had so much support from the studio, really, at a point where they could have been like, you know, backing out because of all the issues we were having with publicity. And they went all in, and we all went all in,” Muschietti added. “Again, we love the movie. We, you know, we gave it our blood, sweat, and tears all the way to the end. And I watched it, like a week ago, and loved it again.”
Here is the synopsis for The Flash.
“Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?”
Meanwhile, Muschietti is set to become part of the new DC Universe. He’s currently set to direct The Brave and the Bold, which will introduce the DCU’s new Batman. Updates on the project have been few and far between, but it will feature Batman mentoring the Damian Wayne version of Robin.
“I think you have to wait to see the movie. Some things have changed. Plenty of things are in flux on what his situation is with [Damian Wayne’s] parentage and all that stuff,” DC Studios co-head James Gunn recently said regarding the status of The Brave and the Bold. “I can’t tell you the amount of big actors that have told me they want to be Batman. I think you’d have a harder time finding actors who don’t want to be Batman. He’s the one character everyone wants to play. That’s the truth.”
The Brave and the Bold doesn’t currently have a release date.
What do you think? Did you like The Flash? Do you think it deserved better? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
