Written By Joseph Todd
DC Studios deserves the blame for the complete collapse of The Flash. Director Andy Muschietti crafted a movie that, by all accounts, should’ve been a global phenomenon. He has talent, passion and genuine love for DC. His directing style is elegant and fun.
I recently saw a quote from a friend of mine referring to Muschietti as “Zack Snyder, Jr.”. While I would not go that far personally, I can certainly understand the sentiment. The Flash is an unapologetic love letter to Zack Snyder’s DCEU movies. When considering all the delays, reshoots, actor drama and struggles The Flash had to endure, it is a wonder the film is as good as it is.
Unfortunately, the box-office numbers are not matching up with the joy and passion fueling the movie. At the time of this writing, The Flash will lose about $200 million.
The question is, who is to blame?
Casually one could point fingers at star Ezra Miller for all of their legal scandals. Whether true or not, the perception was damning enough for the general audience to have skipped out on The Flash. However, Miller was not the one who made The Flash sink like the Titanic. That distinction falls directly into the lap of DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn.
So far, Gunn has been the worst thing to happen to DC since director Joss Whedon butchered Justice League in 2017. It was Gunn who has decided to alter certain aspects of DC films to his liking. Disrespecting and throwing away nearly everything that Snyder brought to the franchise while somehow keeping characters he brought to DC Studios’ new continuity.
DC Studios To Blame For Shocking Collapse Of The Flash
Image: Twitter
In addition, he’ll take his “friends” onboard for whatever projects in his DC Studios slate of films that may or may not see the light of day. Gunn came out of the gate draped in controversy when he unceremoniously got rid of Henry Cavill in favor of a younger Superman actor.
Sadly, it does not stop there, but an argument can be made that this decision alone had a domino effect on DC’s box office.
Gunn spends a lot of time arguing with fans on Twitter and outright fabricating about what is going on behind the scenes at DC Studios. He famously tried to make everybody believe that Ben Affleck was not only interested in directing a future DCU project, but he used the word “architect” to describe Affleck’s position.
Only to be savagely debunked by the words “Absolutely not” from Affleck himself a short time later.
Gunn tried to downplay the controversy by claiming that he did not fire Cavill; rather, he never hired him. Yet cancelling Man of Steel 2 was reportedly Gunn’s first decision in the executive chair. The list goes on and on. Gunn continues to get debunked to the point where his credibility must now be constantly called into question.
Who is responsible for The Flash flopping?
As far as I’m concerned, it’s Gunn. His changes made to The Flash to suit his wacky style of humor are devastating. This includes the silly depiction of Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and deletion of Muschietti’s planned and shot ending for The Flash. Instead of Cavill, he gave us George Clooney’s return as Bruce Wayne, which nobody asked for.
Granted, these tweaks were made because they’ll lead to nowhere. On the other hand, there are now people who think Clooney is the next Batman so the same issue arises.
DC Studios To Blame For Shocking Collapse Of The Flash
Image: Twitter
Nevertheless, the killing blow is his announcement of his initial DC Studios line-up prior to the final four DCEU movies being theatrically released. That destroyed all chances of Warner Bros. Discovery finding success. In other words, what’s the point of watching them? Should moviegoers stay home and wait for DC Studios’ offerings?
For The Flash, they did.
Gunn’s DC Studios debut, Superman: Legacy, is all that matters to him. A filmmaker who had no interest in making movies about top DC heroes, content with obscure Peacemaker and Suicide Squad characters, is all of a sudden a visionary who is destined to make the greatest Superman film of all time.
According to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Gunn is “on a mission from god.”
Jesus wept.
In truth it seems like Gunn is on a mission to bury DC Studios. If Superman: Legacy fails, what then? The Flash deserved better and so do the fans.