The Flash Movie Confirmed as Director Andy Muschietti’s Next Project

Director Andy Muschietti scored a breakout hit with his remake of Stephen King’s IT, and is poised to soon put another big box office win under his belt when IT: CHAPTER TWO hits theaters. In fact, Warner Bros. has been so happy with Muschietti’s work that they’ve given him the director’s chair on DC’s The Flash movie!

If there was any doubt that Muschietti would be taking on The Flash, we can now put it to rest. The IT director has confirmed that he will be tackling The Flash as his next cinematic project.

Muschietti was doing an interview with Fandango for IT: CHAPTER TWO when he was directly asked if he was indeed directing The Flash. He confirmed as much with a “Yup,” and even offered a brief tease of what appealed to him about the speedster hero’s story. Hint: don’t expect a horror-themed Flash movie:

“What captivated me about the Flash is the human drama in it,” Muschietti explains. “The human feelings and emotions that play in the drama [of it]. It’s going to be fun, too. I can’t promise that there will be any horror [elements in it], really, but it’s a beautiful human story.”

That kind of tease leaves the door wide open for what kind of Flash story DC Films will be telling. Christina Hodson (Bumblebee, Birds of Prey) is handling the script for The Flash; but with so few credits under her belt, it’s hard to identify what kind of narrative signature she’ll be bringing to the table. Bumblebee managed to mix heart and fun spectacle, so hopefully The Flash can do the same.

The previous DC Extended Universe version of this Flash movie drew upon the famous “Flashpoint” storyline from the 2011 comics. That story sees Barry Allen use his speed for selfish ends, going back in time to prevent his mother’s murder, and save his dad from a prison sentence. The act creates a new DC Universe timeline in which the superhero/supervillain characters are remixed into new roles that threaten the world balance. In the end, Flash must sacrifice his personal wants to restore a universe that, while not perfect, is better than the dark alternative.

The issue with “Flashpoint” is that it’s an event story that may feature Flash, but also has an entire Justice League’s worth of DC characters to cover. While it may be good for giving the DCEU a much needed reboot, it wouldn’t necessarily be the kind of “beautiful human story” Muschietti describes. Then again, Hodson is already knee-deep in several DC movie projects, so interconnectivity may indeed be what The Flash is going for…

Upcoming DC movies include Joker on October 4th, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, The Batman on June 25, 2021, The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021, and Aquaman 2 on December 16, 2022.