Some potentially bad news for fans of superhero movies, especially DC comics fans. Last week, David Goyer has announced on his
MySpace page that he is no longer attached as writer/director of the
Flash movie, citing that Warner Brothers wanted to go in a different direction.
And boy, was he right! This week, Warner Brothers announced that
Shawn Levy has been named as the new director for the Fastest Man Alive’s big screen debut. Levy directed the much critically reviled, yet high box office grossing
Night at the Museum. He also directed the
Pink Panther remake that featured Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau, as well as the
Cheaper by Dozen remake and its sequel.
A spokesman for the studio indicated that while the movie will not be a comedy, it will be much lighter in tone than
Batman Begins and
Superman Returns, and may still incorporate elements of Goyer’s script, which reportedly featured both Barry Allen and Wally West.
Goyer, who also was told that his
Blade TV series (spun from the film trilogy he wrote) would not be renewed. However, he still has his happy face on, because he also noted that he does other projects lined up ("one of them takes place in the DC Universe") that he will be announcing soon.
While its true that the Flash should not be treated with same solemnity as Batman (as seen in the failed
Flash TV series of 1990, which did just that), Levy's critical track record does not give one high hopes for a movie that comics fans will embrace.
In related news,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator
Joss Whedon has announced that he is no longer attached as writer/director the
Wonder Woman movie. After turning in his script, Warner Bros. decided they wanted to do a
different take.
In more related news, Joel Schumacher, who single-handedly destroyed the
Batman movie franchise for a decade,
wants to direct a movie based on Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Yikes!
Today, two animated projects based on the work of comics writer/artist Mike Mignola hit DVD:
