It appears that Oscar-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis may direct The Flash after all. Following rumors in April of the director being in line to helm the solo film for the famed DC superhero (which were briefly dispelled), Zemeckis is still considered a front-runner to tackle the project. The Flash was originally was scheduled to be released on March 16, 2018; but the DC Extended Universe movie, starring Ezra Miller in the titular role, has had a tough time keeping a director, as both Seth Grahame-Smith and Rick Famuyiwa departed the project last year due to creative differences.
The idea of Zemeckis taking over the helm from Famuyiwa also seemed dashed - when Universal Pictures announced that the director's next project would be an untitled inspirational drama based on the 2010 documentary Marwencol, starring Steve Carell in the lead.
However, The Wrap is reporting that Zemeckis is still the front-runner to direct The Flash DCEU solo film. The publication says Warner Bros. has no comment on the report. If Zemeckis ends up taking on The Flash, it will most certainly be delayed until after the helmer finishes his film for Universal. The Wrap also reports that Joby Harold (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) is currently rewriting the script, and Miller, of course, remains slated to star.
Billy Crudup is also attached to play the titular superhero's father in The Flash, whenever it does enter production. In addition, it now appears that X-Men: First Class and Kingsman: The Secret Service director Matthew Vaughn is circling The Flash too and shares front-runner status for the directing job with Zemeckis.
If Warner Bros. can pull it off, either Zemeckis or Vaughn would be a brilliant acquisition to direct The Flash. A Steven Spielberg protégé, Zemeckis proved early in his career that he had the mettle to direct visual-effects heavy movies like Michael J. Fox’s Back to the Future trilogy, and his limitless vision was validated when Forrest Gump earned Zemeckis a Best Director Oscar, as well as Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actor for Tom Hanks. In more recent years, Zemeckis has shown a willingness to grow with ever-expanding visual effects medium, as evidenced by the inverted airliner landing in Flight and the true story-inspired Twin Towers drama The Walk.
Vaughn, who is equally as capable, appears to have an advantage over Zemeckis, not necessarily in terms of talent, but because of timing. Depending on how quickly DC/Warner Bros. wants to move forward on The Flash, Vaughn will be more readily available to dive into the project, since he’s currently wrapping up the sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle for a fall release.
Vaughn would also make an interesting addition to the DC/Warner Bros. project, given his history with Marvel and X-Men: First Class. As further proof of WB/DC's interest in working alongside the filmmaker, there were reports earlier this year of Vaughn being in the running to direct Man of Steel 2, well before his name entered The Flash conversation.
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Source: The Wrap
