Mike Flanagan would “absolutely love” to join James Gunn’s DC Universe

Mike Flanagan has been one of my favourite horror directors in recent years, but could he take his spooky talents to the DC Universe? There have been rumblings that Flanagan could be taking a DC gig. While nothing has been announced, the filmmaker told the crowd at Fan EXPO Canada that he’d be down to join the team.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of James Gunn as a person and filmmaker, and that is a universe that I would absolutely love to be a part of,” Flanagan said. Some fans have pointed to Flanagan hanging with DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran at the Paris Olympics (with a number of other DC folks in attendance) as evidence that something is in the works, but we’ll have to wait and see.

It was reported last year that Flanagan had pitched a Clayface movie to Warner Bros. There weren’t many details, only that the project wouldn’t depict the character as a straight-up villain. In response, Flanagan clarifed that the Clayface news was “entirely speculative” and that “when or if something like that ever becomes real, I promise I’ll tell you guys.” It’d be interesting to see what Flanagan could do in the DC Universe, particularly as the franchise does have a lot of horror-centric characters.

However, before Mike Flanagan gets involved in any potential DC project, he’s set to take the helm of another major franchise: The Exorcist. It was announced earlier this year that Flanagan had signed a deal to write, direct, and produce what is being described as a “radical new take” on the Exorcist franchise. While it will still be set in the Exorcist universe, the project will not be a sequel to The Exorcist: Believer. “The Exorcist is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker, and it is an honor to have the chance to try something fresh, bold and terrifying within its universe,” Flanagan said in a statement. “Reuniting with my friends at Blumhouse, with whom I’ve made some of my favorite pieces of work, only makes this more exciting.” The last installment of the franchise, The Exorcist: Believer, was intended to be the first of a new trilogy (The Exorcist: Deceiver had even been given a 2025 release date), but the lacklustre box office and scathing reviews forced the studio to rethink its plans.

Which DC project could you see Mike Flanagan directing?