Overview
- Craig Gillespie told reporters the needle-drop was “probably the biggest discussion” in late post-production and that the final choice was made in the last week of edits.
- Filmmakers tested roughly 45 song options before settling on a slowed cover of Jimmy Eat World’s 'The Middle' performed by Kelty Greye that they say they 'just found' rather than commissioned.
- The sequence has drawn widespread negative reaction online and on Reddit, making the soundtrack choice the main talking point about the film despite praise for Milly Alcock’s performance.
- DC Studios co‑CEO Peter Safran acknowledged the movie missed box-office expectations after a soft opening, and coverage links the needle-drop debate to broader questions about James Gunn’s musical imprint on films he did not direct.
- The controversy may shape how future DCU projects balance editorial input from studio leadership with individual directors’ tones and could lead studios to more tightly lock late-stage creative decisions.