6 Unexpected Directors Who Could Easily Helm The Flash Movie

After being hired to write and direct The Flash last October, it was revealed late last month that Seth Grahame-Smith had parted ways with Warner Bros. over creative differences. Nothing more specific has been revealed in regards to what exactly happened, but the trades have since reported that the studio is hoping to find a more experienced filmmaker to take the helm of the Scarlet Speedster's solo outing. It's easy to understand why they're reluctant to take too many risks with their DC Comics properties after the mixed (mostly negative?) response to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice back in March, and with some pretty major behind the scenes changes seemingly taking place every week, the status of The Flash currently remains up in the air. As far as we know, this and every other previously announced DC Films movie is still happening, but Warner Bros. needs a reliable director to make the Speedster's standalone flick the best it possibly can be. After all, Batman V Superman's producers were quick to say that The Flash would have the "fun" that Snyder's movie lacked, and we're hoping they deliver on that promise. So, with all that in mind, what you'll find here are six directors who would be perfect to take the helm of the movie following Grahame-Smith's departure. However, rather than the same old names who keep popping up on similar lists, we've put together a group of filmmakers who don't instantly spring to mind when thinking about the Fastest Man Alive, but who definitely have the potential to deliver amazing results. 6) Glenn Ficarra & John Requa A superhero movie may not seem like the most obvious next choice for the directors of Crazy, Stupid, Love and Focus, but Glenn Ficarra and John Requa have proven themselves to be a dab hand when it comes to creating crowd pleasing movies which can be enjoyed by just about every demographic. After the dark and very serious Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, a movie like that is exactly what the DC Films Universe needs, and it's easy to imagine these two being able to deliver the kind of fun take on The Flash that Warner Bros. both want and have promised us multiple times now. Having worked with big names like Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie and Will Smith, these two could no doubt assemble one hell of a cast for The Flash, and while they're mostly unproven when it comes to action, Ficarra and Requa's stylish approach to directing could very easily translate into a Flash movie which is visually unlike any other comic book film we've seen before (and bear in mind this movie will need to do a lot to separate itself from the popular TV series). Despite being a very different genre to what they're used to, The Flash would be in safe hands with this pair. 5) Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg The duo behind movies like This is the End and The Interview may not seem like the most logical choice to take the helm of a superhero blockbuster, but if fun is what Warner Bros. is after, they can't go wrong with these two. Of course, The Flash should by no means be a comedy, but having Rogen and Goldberg write (it's hard to imagine that Grahame-Smith's screenplay doesn't need some work based on his past scripts) and direct could help inject the DC Films Universe with the sense of fun and lightness of tone that many believe it so desperately needs after such a gloomy and dour start. Before you dismiss these two, bear in mind that they most recently wrote and directed the Preacher pilot, and that's a million miles away from their previous projects in terms of tone. In fact, the passion and work they put into adapting that comic book series has showed from the very start, and assuming they can muster the same level of enthusiasm for The Flash, the results could be spectacular. Many fans would no doubt recoil at the prospect of these two being in charge at first, but there's every chance they would completely blow everyone away with a great take on the hero. 4) Gareth Edwards It was recently revealed that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards has decided against taking the helm of the Godzilla sequel, which frees the British filmmaker up for the Scarlet Speedster's movie. Edwards has delivered both in a low and big budget setting before, and all the signs are pointing to Rogue One being a really inventive and exciting addition to the world of Star Wars, so Warner Bros. putting him in charge of The Flash would no doubt make fans happy from the very start. That aside though, and a superhero movie feels like a logical next step for him. Sure, there's a chance he'll return to something original like Monsters, but Edwards' career is on the rise and he would be smart to make a really great comic book movie right about now, as the world would be his oyster in terms of the projects he chooses moving forward after that. More importantly, though, the signs all point to him being able to deliver something great here, and if he can successfully reinvent Godzilla for modern audiences and make a seemingly random Star Wars spinoff movie work, The Flash is no doubt a film he'd have very little trouble in finding a lot of success with. 3) Paul Feig After the ridiculous amount of backlash Spy director Paul Feig has faced for being the one to dream up a female led Ghostbusters movie, chances are he'll be hesitant about going anywhere near anymore well known properties. However, so long as his reboot ends up being a critical and financial success later this year, the haters will be left with nothing to say if Warner Bros. were to choose him to take on The Flash for them. Whether or not he would be interested in a movie with a male lead is hard to say, but Feig could of course throw a lot of great female characters into the mix here. That would be no bad thing, and seeing as Barry is a character whose world is inhabited by strong women, there's a lot the director could do with both them and the Scarlet Speedster. The biggest advantage to having Feig in charge of The Flash is that we know he can deliver in terms of action (and spectacle if those trailers for Ghostbusters are any indication; whatever other faults they may have, the visuals still look pretty cool). Throw in his proven experience with humour and this is one filmmaker who could very well deliver exactly what Warner Bros. and the fans are hoping for. 2) Adam McKay Adam McKay has flirted with a number of Marvel projects (after deciding against directing Ant-Man, he penned the script with Paul Rudd and did the same for the sequel), but pretty much everyone was surprised when it was recently revealed that he's adapting Boom! Studios' Irredeemable. As of right now though, that doesn't appear to be on the fast track, so there's at least a chance the Anchorman and The Big Short helmer could be talked into dipping his toes into the DC Films Universe. After all, it doesn't look like Marvel has anything for him in the near future. McKay has proven himself both in the realm of comedy and drama, and delivered the perfect balance of that in The Big Short. The Flash would benefit immensely from a similar sort of tone, and seeing what he could do with a huge budget and a very visual superhero like this one would be fun to say the least. Warner Bros. wants someone they can trust and who has experience to make sure the movie is a hit, and McKay could deliver exactly that for them. Again, his commitments to Marvel and Irredeemable might pose a problem here, but we could be on to a winner if that can all be figured out. 1) J.J. Abrams J.J. Abrams is admittedly a filmmaker who is often mentioned when it comes to superhero movies, but seeing him go from outer space with films like Star Trek and Star Wars: The Force Awakens to the DC Films Universe for The Flash would be a pretty huge shocker and a massive win for Warner Bros. The story of Barry Allen is a tough one to cram into a two hour movie, especially if it delves into the complicated comic book mythology which the TV series has so far had 46 episodes to slowly unravel. Abrams, however, could effortlessly deal with all of that. We are, after all, talking about the man who resurrected Star Wars, and seeing Abrams bring his Spielberg like sensibilities to the world of superheroes would be downright incredible and possibly just what a property like The Flash needs to stand out. Despite the many (and now very tedious) jokes about lens flare, Abrams is excellent with visuals, and while it will be Zack Snyder who establishes how this character's powers are portrayed in next year's Justice League, it's not hard to picture Abrams dreaming up some really inventive ways to showcase The Flash in action.