The Flash movie just can't seem to catch a break. Warner Bros. has been on the hunt for a director ever since Dope helmer Rick Famuyiwa left the project over creative differences. Prior to that, Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 Jump Street) were attached to direct, but they left to go do the Han Solo movie. Now it looks like a couple of former Spider-Man movie directors have officially passed on the job, with Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3) and Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) both reportedly saying no.
The news comes courtesy of Entertainment Weekly who are reporting that both Raimi and Webb were in contention, but they both decided against taking on The Flash for Warner Bros. In the case of Marc Webb, after what happened with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it is understandable that he wouldn't want to jump right back into another seemingly rocky situation. In the case of Sam Raimi, he has no shortage of projects to work on and again, someone at the point he is in his career may not see the risk/reward of directing this movie being worth it.
The EW report also reiterates that Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis is currently the top contender for the job, but Kingsman: The Secret Service and X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn is also in the mix. He was previously rumored to be on the list to direct Man of Steel 2 for Warner Bros. as well. However, both directors have some potential scheduling conflicts, with Zemeckis filming an untitled movie with Steve Carrell this August and Vaughn possibly looking at doing Kingsman 3, depending on how things go with Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
To make matters worse, EW reported that Billy Crudup, who had been cast to play Barry Allen's father, dropped out of being in The Flash. No specific reason was provided, but it was speculated to be schedule related, since the dates have shifted for production on the movie. After the EW report, DC jumped into the fray to assure fans that Crudup was still attached. Though it all sounds a little shaky.
If Crudup does eventually leave the troubled production, it could be a big blow for the project, especially since Crudup has already appeared as Henry Allen in the trailer for Justice League. So, the director of The Flash would have to deal with that. Though he's on board right now, it sounds like he could definitely bail at a later date. Does Zack Snyder cut him out of Justice League if that happens? Do they recast Billy Crudup? Do they kill him off? No solution seems ideal at this point. Then again, Joby Harold (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) is currently rewriting the script, so he could possibly find a way to work around the issue should Billy Crudup's exit actually come to pass.
The Flash was originally pegged for release on March 16, 2018, but there is no way that is happening now. Ezra Miller, who is appearing as Barry Allen in Justice League in November, is still attached to play Barry Allen in the movie. For now, at least. Warner Bros. has not set a new release date for the movie, but with no director and cast members dropping out, that is understandable. We will be sure to keep you up to date as more information on the movie is made available.