Andy Muschietti, whose new movie The flash just opened in theaters, lined up to direct Batman: the brave and the valiantwhich will be the first Batman movie in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new, official DC Studios continuity (as opposed to the sequel to Robert Pattinson’s The batterwhich now exists under the non-canonical DC Elseworlds label).
The flash features at least two Batmans (Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton), so Muschietti has had some practice with the character, if nothing else.
The brave and the bold was announced by Gunn and Safran when the new DC Studios chiefs unveiled their first wave of projects early this year. It’s based on a Grant Morrison comic series in which Bruce Wayne’s Batman is joined by his biological son Damian – a trained assassin, for reasons – as Robin. Gunn said it would be “the start of a kind of bat family in the [DC Universe].” No screenwriter has yet been linked to the film.
“We saw The flash, even before we took the reins at DC Studios, and we knew we were in the hands of not only a visionary director, but a huge DC fan, “Gunn and Safran told Variety in a statement about their new hire. “It’s a great movie – funny, emotional, thrilling – and Andy’s affinity and passion for these characters and this world just resonates in 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.
While not everyone may agree The flash‘s quality, there is reason to believe that Muschietti is a good fit The brave and the bold. His treatment of Michael Keaton’s Batman as less of a tortured loner and more of a fatherly counterpart to unruly younger heroes is one of The flash‘s most successful elements, and seems a good fit for Batman and Robin’s return to cinema screens for the first time since Joel Schumacher’s ill-fated 1997 film.
For The flash, Muschietti made Warner Bros.’ hugely successful two-part adaptation of Stephen King’s Itand horror outbreak Mom.
The other projects in the DC Studios reboot, titled “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters”, are Superman Legacy (to be written and directed by Gunn himself), The authoritya super girl movie, Swamp thingand TV shows Commands from creatures, Waller, Booster Gold, Lanternsand Wonder Woman prequel lost paradise. With plans for pivotal heroes Superman and Batman already getting firmer, it seems Gunn and Safran have their priorities straight.