‘The Flash’ Finds A New Director: ‘Dope’ Helmer Rick Famuyiwa
Warner Bros.‘The Flashhas sped to a new director. FollowingSeth Grahame-Smith’s departure in April,DopehelmerRick Famuyiwais now in negotiations to directEzra Millerin the DC superhero film. Miller made his onscreen debut as the Scarlet Speedster this spring, with a brief cameo inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
The Flashhas gone through a few potential directors already. Last year,The Lego Movie’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller were hired to work on the script, with the possibility of directing down the line. But the pair got called away to do Disney’s Han Solo spinoff, taking them out of the running to helm. Then Grahame-Smith, the scribe behindDark ShadowsandAbraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, was hired to write and direct.The Flashwould have been his feature directing debut. But he split this spring over “creative differences.”
Famuyiwa is a much more experienced director than Grahame-Smith, though he’s never done a big-budget blockbuster. He garnered a lot of praise for his 2015 coming-of-age dramaDope, and most recently directed HBO’s Anita Hill movieConfirmation. His other credits includeThe Wood,Brown Sugar, andOur Family Wedding. The style and energy he demonstrated inDopemake him a promising choice forThe Flash, whose lead is a bit younger than most of his Justice League teammates.
Warner Bros. has been working hard to course-correct after the disappointing response toBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, establishing a dedicated DC Films division and making some big changes to its producing team.Entertainment Weeklywrites that the studio was inspired to “a closer look at who was in charge of each upcoming film.” Hiring a well-liked veteran like Famuyiwa to directThe Flashcertainly feels like a step in the right direction.
The Flashalready has a script written by Grahame-Smith, but it’s unclear whether it’ll get a rewrite before cameras roll under Famuyiwa. Miller will return as Barry Allen, a.k.a. The Flash, in next year’sJustice LeaguebeforeThe Flashsolo movie hitsMarch 16, 2018.
