Andy Muschietti’s Flash Comments Have Me Extremely Worried About the DCU’s First Batman Movie

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Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe was never able to live up to the potential it had, with only one film ever reaching a billion dollars, plenty of panned films from critics, and the lack of a clear plan. The DCEU’s lack of consistent success is why DC Studios is now rebooting the franchise with the new DCU that’s finally underway with Creature Commandos recently closing out its first season. There were many failures part of the DCEU, and among the biggest was The Flash film, starring Ezra Miller and directed by Andy Muschietti.

While the DCU will recast major roles like The Flash, Muschietti will be part of the upcoming reboot. On The Flash‘s preview night, DC Studios announced Muschietti as the director of The Brave and the Bold, a DCU film set to introduce a new version of Batman alongside Damian Wayne’s Robin. Development on the film has been slow, and there’s now growing speculation Robert Pattinson could wind up as the DCU’s Batman. While I enjoyed The Flash film, Muschietti recently opened up about why he believes the film failed, pitting blame on the character. After The Flash director’s comments, I not only disagree with him, but it also has me worried about the DCU’s planned Batman film.

The DCEU Was a Poor Excuse for a Franchise

Nearly five months before The Flash was released in theaters, DC Studios announced a slate of films for the forthcoming DCU reboot.

The Flash wasn’t the only DCEU film to bomb once it became clear the franchise wouldn’t continue past Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

For starters, it’s important to remember where the DCEU franchise was before the release of The Flash. In November 2022, Warner Bros. announced James Gunn and Peter Safran would take over the DC franchise to form DC Studios. This led to plenty of questions as to what was next for the franchise. That direction became clear once DC Studios rolled out an initial slate in January 2023, just a few months before The Flash hit theaters. At that point, the writing was on the wall for the DCEU and it was clear the remaining films for 2023 would have no significance on the franchise’s future. This ultimately led to a string of DC bombs with Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Blue Beetle. Despite Aquaman and the Lost Kindom making over $400 million, the last DCEU film still earned half of the first and carried a budget of over $300 million.

“The Flash failed, among all the other reasons because it wasn’t a movie that appealed to all four quadrants. It failed at that. When you spend $200 million making a movie, Warner wants to bring even your grandmother to the theaters. And I’ve found in private conversations that a lot of people just don’t care about The Flash as a character. Particularly the two female quadrants. All of that is just the wind going against the film I’ve learned.” — The Flash director Andy Muschietti explains why he believes the film failed.

For comic book films to succeed, they need to be part of a strong brand audiences can rely on for quality outings. It’s why Marvel Studios has been as successful with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it has been for over a decade. The DCEU was never able to reach those levels, and once it became known a reboot was on the horizon, the desire to see more installments part of a failed universe certainly hurt The Flash‘s hopes for success. Moreover, The Flash wasn’t the only draw for the film since the solo outing also featured the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman and Supergirl. Not even the multiverse angle was enough to spare The Flash because audiences gave up on the DCEU by that point.

The Flash series starring Grant Gustin ended weeks before the DCEU film hit theaters.

In The Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event on The CW, Gustin and Miller shared a scene.

Before The Flash finally reached theaters in the summer of 2023, the film was notoriously stuck in development hell for many years. After so many failed attempts to get the film off the ground, Muschietti deserves credit for being the director to get a Flash film across the finish line, but his comments about the character are still false. One major reason, in particular, is that The Flash was far more recognizable than other superheroes who have led successful films in recent years. Part of that familiarity is due to The CW, where The Flash had a strong run for years, with a series that lasted nine seasons. While Arrow started the shared DC universe on The CW, The Flash quickly became its most successful.

While The Flash film needed far more than fans of The CW series to contribute to its box office success, it still proved the character had the potential to become a bankable film franchise for DC and Warner Bros. The Flash might not be on the level of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, he’s probably the next character on that list because of The CW. If anything, the DC film might’ve been hurt by the series because it beat the film to the punch and some viewers might not have been willing to accept another version of the character.

The DC Film Was Surrounded By Controversy

Leading up to The Flash‘s release, there was also a major elephant in the room regarding the film’s star. Miller first appeared as Barry Allen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and returned as The Flash in Justice League. The solo film was a chance for the star to flourish as the character, and in many ways, the actor found their footing and delivered a good portrayal, especially as two different versions of the character. However, Miller’s legal trouble overshadowed The Flash‘s release and had some calling for Warner Bros. to scrap the film completely.

Miller’s legal issues might not have reached the general audience or mattered in the end, yet the biggest problem was that it led to an awkward marketing campaign. Instead of doing a traditional media tour to promote the film, Warner Bros. decided against that due to the controversy surrounding Miller. While that might’ve saved on marketing costs, it’s clear a proper marketing push with Miller would’ve helped a little since it’s standard practice for tentpole films like The Flash. Warner Bros. was also in an incredibly tough position, so it’s easy to see why the studio went the route it did.

With Muschietti selected by DC Studios to direct The Brave and the Bold, it’s hard to have a ton of confidence in the choice when he’s blaming The Flash‘s loss on the character’s appeal and not acknowledging the other well-known issues that led to it. If Muschietti has this belief with The Flash, does that mean he has the same thoughts about Robin, who is set to appear in The Brave and the Bold? The last time Robin appeared in a live-action film was 1997’s Batman & Robin, one of the most notorious comic book movie box office failures. If The Brave and the Bold is to deliver, then it needs a filmmaker who believes in the characters and the source material because many, like The Flash, have a history of success that shows it has the potential to lead a hit film.

The Flash was one of the stronger entries of the DCEU in the end, but it came out too late for it to matter. Moreover, the 2023 film’s failure has more to do with DCEU’s brand and the controversy with Miller than the character itself, as Muschietti believes. While I think DC Studios should hold off on doing a DCU project with The Flash for a few years, it doesn’t mean a successful film with the character won’t be possible in the future.

Even though I enjoyed The Flash, Muschietti’s recent comments certainly raise concerns for The Brave and the Bold because they feel out of touch with reality. The Brave and the Bold is also one of the most important DCU projects in the pipeline since it’s a Batman film. Therefore, it should probably be with a filmmaker who doesn’t share the same beliefs many executives did before the explosion of the MCU that proved all types of superheroes can achieve success on the big screen.

“}]] Andy Muschietti’s recent comments about The Flash film don’t instill much confidence in the DCU’s The Brave and the Bold film.  Read More