Director Got a “Confidence Boost” When Tom Cruise Praised His Film
Tom Cruise called Andy Muschietti to rave about the Ezra Miller-led movie.
In March, sources said that Cruise saw the movie and loved it so much that he cold-called Muschietti, to rave about it. According to insiders, the Mission: Impossible actor said something to the effect that Flash is “everything you want in a movie” and “this is the kind of movie we need now.”
Muschietti was asked about the call during a recent interview with GamesRadar. When talking about if he felt pressure with so much talk around the Ezra Miller-led film, the filmmaker said, “No.”
Producer Barbara Muschietti shared the same sentiment as Andy when the Top Gun: Maverick star called to commend the movie. “It’s a very cynical industry, and to hear people that really have no skin in the game, because they have nothing to gain, just say something that lovely,” she said. “In the case of Tom Cruise, he called us, talked for 15 minutes, praising Andy, praising the film.”
She added, “It just feels very good because we really work very hard to make these movies.”
The Flash, which is set to hit theaters June 16, sees Miller return as the superhero, but when he uses his super speed to travel back in time to change past events to save his family, he ends up creating a world without any superheroes. Now he must find a way to save the future.
The embattled actor spoke openly about misconduct allegations levied against them and various legal woes, addressing fans and many industry players at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Miller, who is non-binary and uses they and them pronouns, made a big show of acknowledging Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Film Group heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy and DC Studios stewards James Gunn and Peter Safran for “your grace and discernment and care in the context of my life. And in bringing this moment to fruition.”
Miller received a rockstar welcome at “The Flash” premiere, introduced by their director Andy Muschietti.
The studio announced ahead of time that the Los Angeles premiere would be Miller’s lone publicity commitment for the film. They walked the red carpet and did not stand for traditional on-camera and print interviews. Miller’s “The Flash” co-star Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez turned up at the event, as did Muschietti’s “It Chapter Two” collaborator Jessica Chastain.
Despite positive reactions out of its debut screening at this year’s CinemaCon, and being heralded internally as one of the greatest superhero films ever made, early tracking has “The Flash” earning a modest $70 million in its first weekend.
