‘The Flash’ director officially set to take on Batman in James Gunn’s DCU

The future of the DC Universe just became a little brighter thanks to The Flash director Andy Muschietti officially being onboarded to helm the future project The Brave and the Bold.

DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn announced The Brave and the Bold as part of his new slate of the rebooted DCU several months back, alongside other projects soon to go underway with pre-production, such as Superman: Legacy and Creature Commandos. Gunn and fellow DC Studios head Peter Safran confirmed Muschietti as The Brave and the Bold‘s director to Variety, explaining that they were so impressed with The Flash, Muschietti became the top candidate very quickly. Gunn and Safran made the announcement in a joint statement:

“We saw The Flash; even before taking the reins at DC Studios, and knew we were in the hands of not only a visionary director but a massive DC fan […] It’s a magnificent film – funny, emotional, thrilling – and Andy’s affinity and passion for these characters and this world just resonates through every frame. So, when it came time to find a director for The Brave and the Bold, there was really only one choice. Luckily, Andy said yes.”

The Brave and the Bold will once again be produced by Muschietti and his sister and artistic partner, Barbara, via their production company Double Dream. The film, also produced by Gunn and Safran, will focus on bringing the so-called “Bat family” to the big screen, including characters such as Robin. In January, Gunn explained in an announcement that the Robin character would be the Damian Wayne iteration, Bruce Wayne’s biological son, based on the work of comic author Grant Morrison.

In their joint statement, Gunn and Safran described The Brave and the Bold as having “an extraordinary team” behind it, including Muschietti and Barbara. “[W]e couldn’t have better or more inspiring partners as we embark on this thrilling new adventure in the DCU,” they said.

In his opinion, Gunn has previously described The Flash as one of the greatest comic book movies of all time, although, of course, the executive of the studio putting that film out is going to hype it up. Regardless, the fact that The Brave and the Bold now has a director attached is an exciting and important step on the path to production, though DC is still searching for a screenwriter for the project. Gunn previously announced he would be directing Superman: Legacy based on a script he penned.