Update: Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are still in negotiations for Flashpoint, but they’re ’excited’ about the prospects.

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley were recently hired to write and direct the DC Extended Universe movie Flashpoint, but they say that they have yet to begin working on the film because their deal is still pending. The DCEU has been a mixed bag for Warner Bros. ever since director Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel released in 2013 with more than $688 million at the global box office. Of course, the film’s follow-up, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, was also battered by critics and had a lukewarm reception by fans, even though it grossed well over $800 million.

Wonder Woman temporarily cured the DCEU’s ills by being lauded by both critics and fans, and earning more than $821 million. But Justice League, which introduced The Flash (Ezra Miller) in earnest after a brief appearance in BvS, was considered a disappointment across the board, with a worldwide tally of $657.5 million. Adding to the franchise’s frustration is the studio’s apparent inability to lock in a director for the The Flash’s solo movie Flashpoint, as rumblings of either Robert Zemeckis, Sam Raimi and Matthew Vaughn directing the project never materialized after after both Seth Grahame-Smith and Rick Famuyiwa departed the project in 2016 due to creative differences. Things changed, however, when Spider-Man: Homecoming co-writers Goldstein and Daley were hired to helm the long-anticipated Flashpoint movie… but even that may not be a done deal.

In an interview with THR, Goldstein and Daley revealed that they have yet to start working on the film. On the red carpet for the premiere Wednesday night of their new comedy, Game Night, Daley, speaking on behalf of the duo, told the publication, “We’re still negotiating” and “deals are in the works right now.” Daley also noted that he and Goldstein have not started working on the script for the film yet, saying, “We have to sign the deal … Hopefully, it will work out.”

Daley’s revelations will no doubt come as a big letdown for Flash fans, especially those who have been waiting patiently for the Scarlet Speedster’s film to come together. And while putting together deals to direct a picture for one director, let alone two, is a complicated process, it’s curious how news of their pending hiring leaked a month ago when, clearly, the filmmakers were far from the point of signing on the dotted line.

On top of that, Daley’s ominous line, “Hopefully, it will work out,” doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, which seems to indicate that some sort of sticking points are preventing the deal from getting done. On the plus side, the filmmakers also co-wrote The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and the Horrible Bosses movies for Warner Bros., so the studio knows they’re not dealing with a couple of greenhorns. If Warner Bros. is going to proceed with Daley and Goldstein, they may want to get the deal done sooner or later. If Game Night, which is currently riding a “fresh” critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, becomes a hit for the studio, that could certainly increase their price tag. Otherwise, until something gets done, the Flashpoint movie will just have to just keep running in place.

Source: THR

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