Why Is James Wan Directing Aquaman Instead of The Flash?

James Wanis currently enjoying the kind of thing that very few directors ever do in the business. He has mastered the horror genre, but has also been able to tackle massive blockbusters likeFurious 7and the upcomingAquamanfor Warner Bros. At this point,Wanbasically gets to choose his projects, and as it turns out, he chose not to directThe Flash.

In a recent interview withUproxxwhile promotingThe Conjuring 2, the director revealed that Warner Bros. offered him a choice. When asked if there were otherDC Comics movieson the table when he got theAquamanjob, he says thatThe Flashwas also offered to him.Wanultimately went with The King of Atlantis though, and here is why.

“…The thing that ultimately pushed me more towardsAquamanis I love the possibility of creating a whole new world. I’ve always wanted to do a world creation story and visually create this amazing, incredible, magical kingdom. And also, I love the fact that Aquaman is an underdog character. I love the fact that people like to make fun of him. [Laughs.] I feel the bar is a lot lower and I can have fun with him!”

Warner Bros. is very serious about their upcoming slate of DC Comics movies and the fact that they offeredWanthe choice says a lot about the credibility he has earned as a filmmaker.Wanof course madeThe Conjuringfor Warner Bros., which turned out to be a critical and financial success. He then left to doFurious 7for Universal, which wound up grossing $1.5 billion worldwide. With that,Wanproved he could do the blockbuster thing and his good relationship with Warner Bros. probably helped to land him the opportunity to choose between two of thebiggest superhero moviesbeing made in the next handful of years.

The Flashis currently in a bit of an unsure spot afterdirector Seth Grahame-Smithexited the project, not to mention the outcry from fans of the TV show who are upset thatEzra Milleris playing the character in the film and notGrant Gustin.Rick Famuyiwahas now taken on the role of direcor on the movie. Warner Bros. has been experiencing a lot of fallout sinceBatman V Supermanwas very poorly received and didn’t meet the studio’s lofty expectations at the box office. OnceSmithleftThe Flash, there was speculation thatWanwouldexit Aquaman, but the director quickly took to social media to post a picture of himself in front of an Aquaman mural, and these new comments only further confirm that he isn’t going anywhere.

Wanis currently in the planning phase for theAquamanmovie whileJason Momoais off filmingJustice LeaguewithZack Snyder. In the meantime, he will be finishing up the press tour forThe Conjuring 2and then move right into doing press forLights Out, which he was a producer on.The Flashis set for release on June 03, 2025 andAquamanwill hit theaters just a few months later on July 27.