David Nutter is the indisputable king of pilot television directing with over 17 of his shows picked up to series. Nutter has directed the pilots to some of the most successful television shows including Smallville and Supernatural as well as iconic TV moments including Game Of Throne's 'red wedding' episode.
Nutter has already directed the pilot to the Grant Gustin lead 'The Flash' which debuts on The CW later in the year. Since Nutter directs the early episodes of a TV show, he has a say in casting the main cast which has included Arrow star Stephen Amell and The Flash's Grant Gustin. In what Nutter looks for in a lead, he said: 'What I think we look for is the charisma factor. When someone walks in the door, something has to hit you, even before they say a line or word'.
With pilots for Smallville, Arrow and The Flash under his belt, Nutter revealed he 'enjoys the hero genre more than anything else', adding: 'I enjoy origin stories. I enjoy doing stories about people who learn what they are capable of. I enjoy telling stories where people have to do what they do and it's not really a choice, it's basically something they are drawn to. It's not a life choice, but something they are compelled to do, and something that can sometimes be life and death. I love those life choices and I love the stakes that it involves'.
But with directing superhero shows, there is always the problem the show could become to unrealistic or not believable . Nutter says he wants to make the 'shows relatable and understandable and not make it cartoonish.'
Having wrapped on the pilot, Nutter describes Grant Gustins performance as 'truly magical' adding, 'he was quite fantastic and had amazing chops and composure. He had such wonderful depth and power and richness. I think the audience will love him.'
The director compares the shows tone to Arrow although, 'there's humor in this pilot, which fits very well. It's a little bit brighter of a show. It really encapsulates who Barry Allen is as a character, and who the Flash is in the comics.'
When asked about what inspiration the show will be taking from the comics, Nutter states he turned to the writing team of 'Geoff Johns, who had written so much of the Flash lore over the recent years, was one of the screenplay writers. We utilized his knowledge and expertise in this world. Greg and Andrew are quite aficionados as well, Andrew being a comic book writer himself. We all relied on each other to give our best work. It was a real fantastic community effort that worked out beautifully.'
Finally, when quizzed on the shows long term success, Nutter was confident the show could match Smallvilles run: 'Arrow is proving to have the same legs. It's the most popular show on the network. It's in the third season, and it's only growing stronger and better. I definitely think it can. Hopefully "Flash" lasts at least half as long [as the others], because then we'd be in great shape.
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