When you think of the Flashpoint story, DC’s dimension-travelling epic that launched the New 52, the term “ground-level” probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
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John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the duo who wrote Spider-Man: Homecoming, were recently tapped by Warner Bros. to direct the upcoming Flashpoint movie, a film that had already seen two directors step away in as many years.
While speaking with Collider, the filmmakers shared their excitement about working with The Flash. Despite the fact that the Flashpoint storyline is about as grandiose as it could be, Barry Allen is extremely down-to-earth.
“Just the fact that the character is unique from other superheroes in that he doesn’t completely have his shit together like Superman does,” Daley explained of the decision to take on The Flash. “It’s more of a ground-level superhero.”
Goldstein and Daley certainly have experience with this kind of superhero story. Spider-Man: Homecoming told the story of a high school Peter Parker, struggling to adjust to his powers and figure himself out at the same time. He doesn’t really have it together, even though he wants to fix the world around him.
“It’s a relatable way in to a superhero movie in some of the same ways that Peter Parker was for the Marvel side of things,” Goldstein said.
We got to see this human side of Barry Allen in Justice League last year. Ezra Miller‘s take on the character was a bit of a mess when Bruce Wayne found him. Throughout the movie, he showed that he was much more like the audience members watching the movie, rather than the other superheroes he was fighting alongside.
The way that Goldstein and Daley made viewers relate to Peter Parker was a big factor in the folks at WB wanting them to come in and make a DC film.
“They were interested in us because of Game Night and Spider-Man,” said Goldstein. “Because of that combination they did kind of say, ‘We’d like you to consider one of our movies.’ So we read a number of the scripts and [Flashpoint] was the one – we’re huge fans of the character, I collected the comic books as a kid. It was an exciting possibility.”
The duo’s latest film, Game Night starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, is set to hit theaters on February 23.
