Former Flash Movie Directors Reveal Why They Left The DC Film

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley says why they left working on Ezra Miller’s DC film, The Flash. A lot was riding on The Flash; it was also the film that is set to reset the franchise so to speak. Even before WarnerMedia was bought by Discovery, DC Films was already hyping the film to be one of the most important films for the DCEU.

The Flash has had a troubled development. It even went through several directors like Seth Graham-Smith (writer of The Lego Batman Movie) and Rick Famuyiwa (Dope). Even when the film started production, it had so many delays and reshoots, and Miller himself got into a lot of trouble with the law. Regardless, Warner kept telling us that this is one of their best films to date, even comparing it to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.

D&D Directors Say Why They Left The Flash

READ MORE: Ezra Miller Will Be Doing ‘Limited’ Press For The Flash

Back in January 2018 the comedy directing duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley were set to write and direct the DC movie. Goldstein and Daley are known for films like Vacation and Game Night. Not only that, but they also contributed to Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.

After working with Ezra Miller for more than a year trying to make the story, the duo decided to leave. By July 2019, Muschietti was already in negotiations with Warner Bros to direct The Flash.

In an interview with Variety, while promoting Dungeons and Dragons, directors Goldstein and Daley told the outlet why they needed to leave the high-profile DC movie. Daley said in regard to their concept for Miller’s The Flash:

We pitched this idea of a ground-level superhero where it isn’t entirely end-of-the-world stakes. He’s just learning his powers and is also somewhat dysfunctional with his life. The more imperfect we can make a superhero, the better, because that’s the inherent challenge: How do you give imperfection to someone that is, you know, physically perfect?

At the time, the duo weren’t the only ones working on a script. Miller wasn’t happy with the direction that the directors were taking. So, Miller himself got the help of writer Grant Morrison, who has worked on several other comics and publishers, and also made their own script for the upcoming film. The directing duo had this to say:

They were intense and very bright. Later, it became clear that they didn’t want to quite do the same thing as we did.

DC Films and Warner Bros did eventually like Goldstein and Daley’s work, and passed on Miller and Morrison’s version. Nevertheless, Miller is still on board working on the film.

Former Directors of the Flash Happy With The Final Film

Credit: Getty Images

READ MORE: The Flash Post-Credits Scene To Feature A Surprising Cameo

Filming of The Flash got delayed because Miller was still working on The Secrets of Dumbledore. Unfortunately, the directors came to a point that they needed to leave the DC project. Daley said:

It was a number of creative differences that caused us at a certain point to decide that it was time to go.

Goldstein added:

If we feel like the powers-that-be aren’t excited about making the same movie as we are, we’re not going to win that battle. And so it’s better to cut your losses and get out of there.

In November 2019 Mama and It director Andy Muschietti took over the directing duties. Christina Hodson who wrote Bumblebee, Birds of Prey and the cancelled Batgirl would be working on the screenplay.

Regardless, Warner liked Goldstein and Daley’s take on The Flash that it was still incorporated into the upcoming film. The directing duo have seen the film and Goldstein said:

They took what we had started and really ran with it and made it a very fun and emotional movie. We’re really happy with how it all turned out.

The Flash is set to release on June 16th and, as we have been informed by DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, will reset the DC Universe as a whole. The film stars Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck and Sasha Calle.

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is set to release on March 31, 2023. The film stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant.

What do you make of Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley leaving The Flash? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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