Highlights
- The director of the upcoming Batman movie, Andy Muschietti, has faced criticism for his previous work on The Flash, which was considered a box-office failure and poorly received by fans.
- Despite his small filmography and the failure of The Flash, Muschietti's style may align well with the dark and gritty nature of Batman, especially considering his experience with horror elements in the IT movies.
- The Brave and the Bold, which will adapt Grant Morrison's Batman comic books, has the potential to redeem Muschietti as a superhero movie director and establish itself as the first solo Batman movie in the DC universe.
Batman will team up with Robin and the rest of the Bat Family in James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. The Brave and the Bold will be the most distinct iteration of the iconic caped crusader and will co-exist with Matt Reeves's Batman movies. The film will have big shoes to fill, however, the director of the film is already a cause of concern.
Notorious for his work on The Flash, one of the worst DC movies of all time and a box-office failure, Andy Mushietti is being given another shot at directing a DC superhero movie with The Brave and the Bold. Handing over a big project like Batman to Muschietti after the disaster of The Flash itself is a bold decision by James Gunn. To add to this, Andy’s filmography is also fairly small including only a handful of movies which leads many to question: Was choosing Andy to direct The Brave and the Bold a premature decision?
Andy Muschietti's Flash Was Roundly Criticized
The Flash was in development hell from the beginning. Weak plot points and often cringe-worthy acting by the superheroes weren't even the worst aspects of the movie. After watching the film, many questioned why The Flash even exists and what purpose it served in closing the DCEU. The Flash was supposed to center around the flashpoint event that would transition into the new DCU with different variants of the beloved superheroes. When discussing where things went wrong, well, it was almost everywhere.
Unlike other DC superheroes, Flash isn't as well known for his solo interpretations. Still, CW's The Flash, which per season had a significantly lesser budget compared to The Flash is arguably better in every regard than the $200 Million dollar film.
Andy Muschietti's The Flash focused more on evoking a nostalgic feeling for DC movies, including cameos and appearances from past DC superheroes like Michael Keaton's Batman and Christopher Reeve's Superman, rather than prioritizing the movie's actual storyline. However, neither of these elements worked well, with many fans criticizing the film for resurrecting actors just for the sake of nostalgia. Despite having a staggering $300 million budget, the movie's visual effects and overall production quality appeared subpar and cheap leaving all eyes on the film's director.
Andy Muschietti's Filmography Is Small
Even when not considering his involvement with The Flash, Andy Muschietti's filmography as a movie producer is relatively small. The Argentine film director is also known for his roles as a producer and writer, notably for his work on Locke and Key and Mama. 2013's Mama marked his debut as a movie director and achieved widespread recognition as a horror film. However, Andy Muschietti's best work can be regarded in the IT movies which perfectly captured the horror essence of the book by the same name and even helped the actor solidify his reputation as a talented horror director.
Even before his work on The Flash, Warner Bros. hired Andy Muschietti for another project. In 2018, Andy Muschetti was set to direct an Attack on Titan feature film, although there is no follow-up info on the project which implies that it may have been scrapped. Still, Muschietti’s work on The Flash was his first in the superhero genre and was a completely new experience for the director with a different aesthetic compared to any other film he had previously worked on.
Was Andy Muschietti A Premature Choice For Batman?
All said, Andy Muschietti might be the perfect director for the upcoming The Brave and the Bold movie. The Flash faced multiple rewrites and underwent a significant shift in direction when James Gunn took on the role of Co-CEO and Co-Chairman, making its chances of success uncertain. While James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy promises a vibrant and optimistic take on the iconic Kryptonian, Batman represents the complete opposite of the Man of Steel. The Caped Crusader's darker and grittier nature as a Gotham vigilante aligns perfectly with Andy Muschietti's film style. Muschietti could explore Batman's horror elements and bring them to the big screen, drawing from his experience with the horror genre in the IT movies. The Brave and the Bold might also be a perfect opportunity for the director to redeem himself.
The Brave and the Bold will adapt Grant Morrison's Batman comic books, likely starting with his 2006 story arc, Batman and Son. This storyline, in which Batman discovers his 10-year-old son, Damian, with Talia Al Ghul, incorporates a few horror and psychological elements, which align well with Muschietti's strengths.
The Brave and the Bold carries significant expectations as the first solo Batman movie in the DC universe. Andy Muschietti faces the challenge of filling big shoes but has the potential to reestablish himself as a superhero movie director with this project. With all the experiences learned from the failure of The Flash and having James Gunn's guidance, The Brave and The Bold appears to be in capable hands.
The Brave And The Bold Is Currently In Development