‘Dungeons and Dragons’ directors on ‘The Flash’ exit

March 11, 2023

While Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley dropped out of directing “The Flash” due to creative differences, they have nothing but good things to say about the final product.

“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Without Thieves” is the talk of SXSW right now after its opening night screening to rave reviews. 2023 promises to be a big year for directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, best known for their work on Game Night. But the year seemed almost entirely different to them. The two men were previously involved in writing and directing Warner Bros.’s “The Flash,” but eventually left the comic book movie and handed the reins to new director Andy Muschietti.

In a new interview with him Speciesthe two filmmakers recalled their initial meeting with Warner Bros. and franchise star Ezra Miller and explained why they ultimately abandoned the project.

“They were intense and very bright,” Goldstein said of Miller. “Later it became clear that they didn’t want to do quite the same thing as us.”

Unspecified creative differences with Miller and the Warner Bros. brass eventually led to Goldstein and Daley exiting the project. Although they left on good terms, they ultimately decided their time would be better spent doing work like “Dungeons and Dragons” that would give them more control.

“Due to a lot of creative disagreements, at some point we decided it was time to go,” Daley said.

“If we feel like the big powers aren’t excited about the same movie we are, then we’re not going to win the battle,” Goldstein added. “And that’s why you better cut your losses and get out of there.”

Despite this, the two filmmakers preserved the story of the film. They recently attended a screening of the finished film and said they were pleased with how it turned out.

“They took what we started and really ran with it and made it a really fun and emotional movie,” says Goldstein. “We are very happy with the way everything turned out.”

“The Flash” has been the subject of endless controversy over Miller’s erratic public behavior in recent years. The scandals led many to believe that Warner Bros. Discovery would scrap the finished film, as it did with “Batgirl.” While that ultimately didn’t happen (in part due to overwhelmingly positive test screenings), Miller’s personal life still looms large in the film. When asked about the actor’s off-screen struggles, Daley gave a diplomatic answer.

“All I can say is that having gone through the grueling process of making a huge film under the best of circumstances, I was very empathetic to the people who loooot about the time and then themselves in making the film as Andy and Christina,” Daley said. “I can imagine how difficult it must have been for them. But I’m very happy that the finished product is a super fun movie.”

He continued: “Obviously you don’t want any headwinds when you’re trying to bring a huge, expensive film to the world… And hopefully the quality of the film will come through and people will embrace it.”

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