The Flash hasn’t even opened to $100 million this weekend — and may potentially not — but Warner Bros is already popping champagne with the pic’s filmmaker Andy Muschietti and producer-sister Barbara Muschietti.Two early evening whopper pieces of news: DC co-bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran have set Andy Muschietti to direct their Batman movie Brave and the Bold, while additionally Warner Bros Pictures and Warner Bros Television Group/Max have inked separate multi-year first-look deals with the Muschiettis and their Double Dream banner. Already, the Muschiettis are working on the It prequel series Welcome to Derry for HBO.The Muschiettis’ Warner Bros motion picture deal runs for three years, under which they will develop and produce tentpoles with the potential to direct. Under their multi-year deal with Warner Bros Television Group and Warner Bros Discovery’s Max, the duo will continue to develop new television series for multiple platforms, including Max and all external outlets.The announcement was made jointly Thursday night by Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, Co-Chairs and CEOs, Warner Bros Motion Picture Group, and Channing Dungey, Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group. The Muschiettis had previously signed a first-look agreement with WBTVG in 2021.We had been hearing for some time that Andy Muschietti was circling to direct Batman: Brave and the Bold, but with the WGA strike in effect it didn’t appear things were going to get locked down so quickly. However, Gunn and Safran wanted to make it official on a weekend where The Flash stands to open to $75M stateside, $155M+ WW.Gunn and Safran talked about the Batman: Brave and the Bold at their DC day back in late January. It’s their version of the DCU Batman outside what Matt Reeves already created in the $771M-grossing The Batman and its upcoming sequel. This new movie will feature Batman and his son, Damien Wayne, as Robin “who is a little son of a bitch,” Gunn teased earlier this year. “Assassin, murderer who Batman takes on, who is Batman’s actual son that he doesn’t know exists for the first 8-10 years of his life….it’s a strange father-and-son story about the two of them and based on Grant Morrison’s run of the Batman.”“We saw The Flash even before taking the reins at DC Studios, and knew we were in the hands of only a visionary director, but a massive DC fan,” said Gunn and Safran in a statement to Deadline.“It’s a magnificent film — funny, emotional, thrilling — and Andy’s affinity and passion for these characters and this world just resonates through 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’, Barbara signed on to produce with us and were on our way,” the duo continued.“They’re an extraordinary team, and we couldn’t have better or more inspiring partners as we embark on this thrilling new adventure in the DCU.”In a separate round of statements for the Muschiettis’ Warner Bros. studio deal, De Luca and Abdy said, “We couldn’t be more thrilled to strengthen our longstanding partnership with these unceasingly driven, incredibly gifted filmmakers. Between Andy’s singular skill and vision as a director and Barbara’s sharp, far-sighted instincts as a producer, they’re a true filmmaking dream team, and channel their lifelong passion into films that deliver as both compelling human stories and heart-pounding crowd pleasers. It’s one of the reasons their movies connect so broadly and powerfully with audiences all over the world, and dovetails perfectly with the kinds of films we want to make.”“Andy and Barbara are singular artists whose vision and passion for Welcome to Derry has blown us away. We cannot wait for fans to see this next captivating — and horrifying! — chapter of the IT universe when it comes to Max,” said Dungey. “We are excited to continue our partnership, and we look forward to telling many more stories with them in the future.”“Warner Bros. has been an incredible partner to us for years now, but more than that, Warners has been part of our whole lives,” said Andy and Barbara Muschietti. “We were watching movies before we could walk, and we spent our formative years as kids at the drive-in, and now we are joining the Warner Bros. family. It feels like a full-circle moment. Knowing Pam and Mike as long as we have really makes it feel like home. And we couldn’t be more excited to continue working with Channing and Brett Paul on the television side.”
© 2023 Deadline Hollywood.