Two Batmen, two Barry Allens, and one multiverse in total disarray.
Before you race to the theater to see "The Flash," here's everything
you need to know about the film set to reboot the DC Extended Universe.
"The Flash" has had a long and bumpy road to theaters. The project was originally slated
for release in March of 2018, but suffered multiple release date snafus along the way.
During its long slog to the screen, the film shuffled through four sets
of directors and had a complete script rewrite,
with at least four writers contributing to various versions of the story from 2018 to 2023.
At one point, COVID got involved, forcing "The Flash" forward in time and causing Warner Bros.
to rearrange their entire release slate. On top of all that, the film was dogged by all
sorts of accusations against star Ezra Miller — from assault charges to accusations of grooming
and burglary — leading the actor to receive treatment for their mental health issues.
And along the way, the entire DCU was restructured, with James Gunn
and Peter Safran becoming the new DCU heads. In other words,
there's been a whole lot of DC drama. But now, "The Flash" finally has a solid release
date. Expect to see the Scarlet Speedster cross the finish line on June 16, 2023.
If you've seen "Zack Snyder's Justice League" or an episode of The CW's "Flash" TV series,
then you know that Barry Allen can travel through time if he runs fast enough, entering the Speed
Force. Of course, while this skill comes in handy every so often, it can also have some pretty
disastrous consequences — something Barry will find out the hard way in his upcoming solo film.
As the official plot synopsis reveals, Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order
to change the events of the past. The hero wants to save his murdered mom from her tragic fate,
but his time-traveling plan majorly backfires, resetting the future. Barry becomes trapped in a
reality in which General Zod has returned, and, quote, "there are no superheroes to turn to."
"I created a world with no metahumans."
After running into an alternate version of himself, the two Barrys realize there is one
hero that might be able to join their fight against Zod — a retired Batman,
who happens to look a whole lot like Michael Keaton. As the plot synopsis reads,
Barry will also need to "rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian," but "not the one he's looking
for." Spoiler alert — it's Supergirl, and she looks like she's ready to mess some bad guys up.
Of course, defeating Zod and putting things back in order won't be that easy. According
to the synopsis, Barry will need to make the "ultimate sacrifice" to reset the universe.
Needless to say, Ezra Miller will be starring as two versions of
Barry Allen. The actor originated the role in "Batman v Superman:
Dawn of Justice," before reprising the part in both versions of "Justice League."
Miller will be joined in their time-traveling adventure by Sasha Calle as Supergirl. The
part of Kara Zor-El will be Calle's first feature film, although she's had quite a
bit of experience on TV, including playing the role of Lola in "The Young and the Restless."
We'll also be getting two Batmen for the price of one. First up,
we've got Batfleck himself. Ben Affleck is back as Bruce Wayne, after first donning the
cowl in "Batman v Superman." The year 2023 will be a big one for Affleck,
as he also directed the Nike basketball drama "Air," which hit theaters in April.
Of course, the big coup here was casting Michael Keaton as an alternate universe
Caped Crusader. Keaton famously played Bruce Wayne in Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman"
and 1992's "Batman Returns," helping lay the groundwork for the superhero boom to come.
Michael Shannon is coming back as General Zod, the DCU's original big bad. He made
Superman's life pretty miserable in "Man of Steel," and now,
he's been unleashed in a timeline where there are no metahumans to stop him.
He'll be joined by Antje Traue as Faora, Zod's right-hand woman. Plus,
expect to see Ron Livingston and Maribel Verdú as Barry's parents,
and Kiersey Clemons reprising the part of Iris West from "Zack Snyder's Justice League.
The DCU has played host to a group of incredibly talented directors,
from Zack Snyder and James Gunn to Patty Jenkins and Cathy Yan. And now,
Andy Muschietti will be joining their ranks as the filmmaker helming "The Flash."
Of course, it took Warner Bros. a long time to pick Muschietti. When "The Flash"
was officially announced back in 2018, Seth Grahame-Smith, the writer of "Abraham Lincoln:
Vampire Hunter," was set to direct, although he eventually left over creative differences.
Grahame-Smith was followed by Rick Famuyiwa of "Dope," who eventually departed for
similar reasons and wound up a major player on "The Mandalorian". After Famuyiwa departed,
the studio turned to John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein,
now probably best known for "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."
However, Ezra Miller allegedly wanted something darker than Daley and Goldstein were aiming for,
so they were eventually replaced by Muschietti. Similar to DC compatriots
David F. Sandberg and James Wan, Muschietti got his start in horror,
directing Jessica Chastain in the incredibly eerie "Mama." The filmmaker then truly made his mark,
bringing Pennywise to terrifying life in "IT" and "IT Chapter Two."
We'll be interested to see if Muschietti brings any of his horror cred into "The
Flash," but we do know he'll be bringing big emotions, as the director told Order 67,
"'The Flash' is a very special story. Yes,
it's a superhero movie, but it has a heart and a soul, it has emotion."
While comic book movies often put their own twist on the source material,
they usually do draw some inspiration from the original books. Take "The Flash," for instance,
which is borrowing from 2011's "Flashpoint," by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert. In fact,
at one point, the film was going to be named "Flashpoint," although
the studio eventually decided to go with the much simpler "The Flash."
So, what happens in the "Flashpoint" comic? Well, similar to the film, Barry Allen zooms back in
time and rescues his mother. When he returns to the present-day, Nora Allen is still alive,
but everything else has fallen apart. Bruce Wayne was shot dead as a child, leading his father to
become a more violent Dark Knight and his mother to become the new Joker. Superman was locked up
by scientists the moment he landed on Earth, and the nations of Themyscira and Atlantis are at war.
Obviously, there have been some substantial changes here. In the film, Bruce Wayne is very
much alive, played in the alternate reality by Michael Keaton. There's no Superman to be seen,
but based on the trailer, it does look like Supergirl is filling that role. Like her
cousin though, it appears she's been imprisoned for quite some time.
Before Ezra Miller donned the iconic Flash suit, Grant Gustin was zipping around over on The CW.
His "Flash" TV series premiered in 2014, and along the way, it interacted with multiple
Arrowverse shows. Perhaps the biggest crossover came in 2019 when we witnessed "Crisis on Infinite
Earths" play out over multiple series, including "Supergirl," "Arrow," and, of course, "The Flash."
The crossover found a band of heroes joining together to face the Anti-Monitor, a powerful
being intent on wiping out the multiverse. It's a saga so epic that TV and film collided when Grant
Gustin and Ezra Miller met up, allowing the two Barrys to interact for just a moment and
admire each other's suits. Sadly, there's been no word that Gustin will appear in Miller's movie,
although we'd be pretty happy if that's a surprise Warner Bros. is keeping up their sleeve.
We know that General Zod is going to be a pretty serious problem in "The Flash," but
will he be the only bad guy? We suspect that won't be the case. Andy Muschietti's superhero
movie is drawing heavily from the "Flashpoint" story arc, where evil speedster Eobard Thawne,
the Reverse Flash is the ultimate villain. Based on the trailers, where Barry #2 is seen wearing a
whole lot of yellow, we've wondered if Reverse Flash might be the secret villain of the film,
but now, we suspect there might be another speedster in the mix.
In March 2023, McFarlane Toys released some official "Flash" merchandise,
with one of their figures depicting a menacing figure by the name of Dark Flash. In the comics,
Dark Flash is actually an alternate version of hero Wally West, known as Walter West. Hailing
from another timeline, Dark Flash is an incredibly brutal character, having gone mad after the loss
of someone he loved. While we don't believe Wally or Walter West will factor into the film,
it's possible that Barry #2 might secretly be Dark Flash or that there's a third Barry
Allen out there, wearing a very scary suit and with bad plans for our hero.
When it comes to "The Flash," the topic that must unfortunately be addressed is
the complicated situation regarding Ezra Miller. Miller has been a sensitive topic
for a good while now, dominating news headlines for much of 2022.
Things really began in January 2022, with Miller
calling out and threatening the Ku Klux Klan in a video.
"Look. If y'all wanna die, I just suggest killing yourselves with your own guns."
Two months later, Miller was arrested at a bar in Hawai'i, eventually pleading no contest to
the charge in court, subsequently paying a $500 fine. Later, Miller allegedly threatened a couple
in their home in March 2022 and was arrested for second-degree assault just a month later.
In June 2022, Miller was featured in concerning back-to-back headlines, with three different
parents accusing Miller of grooming their kids. In August of that same summer, Miller
was accused of burglary in Vermont, before finally addressing their behaviors publicly. Miller said,
"I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior."
The actor's full list of controversies and arrests involves incidents in Iceland and
alarming conditions on their Vermont property. It wasn't until April 2023 that Andy Muschietti, the
director of "The Flash," finally commented on his lead's recent illegal escapades. Muschietti said,
"They're dealing with mental health issues, but they're well. We talked
to them not too long ago, and they're very committed to getting better."
"Release the Snyder Cut." Four words that, for an extended period of time,
were seemingly inescapable for anyone following comic book movie news on the internet. Simply put,
it was a tenacious campaign jumpstarted by hardcore Zack Snyder fans who all desired the
director's version of "Justice League" rather than the Joss Whedon-directed theatrical cut.
"Make your own future."
Following the divisive films "Man of Steel" and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,"
Snyder got to work on "Justice League," the grand finale of his then-ongoing cinematic storyline.
Unfortunately, during the film's production, Snyder's daughter Autumn died in March 2017,
causing Snyder to understandably vacate the project. This resulted in Whedon stepping
in to finish the film, even reshooting key sequences. This "Whedon Cut" soon became the
subject of rampant criticism, only fueling the fires of the "Release The Snyder Cut" movement.
Eventually, after Snyder shot new material and re-edited the film,
"Zack Snyder's Justice League" arrived on HBOMax in 2021, proving to be a vastly
different final product than the theatrical version. Despite this, with the DCU's future
being retooled by James Gunn, how much will the Snyderverse be referenced in "The Flash"?
Amidst the discussions of how major a reset "The Flash" will be, there've been a few reported
changes made en route to the film's release. Given the multiverse-centered plot line of the film,
many DC fans have been speculating about potential major cameos. We've seen glimpses
of Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck's respective Batmen, but alongside these confirmed appearances
there seem to be some cameos that, for various reasons, have been trashed.
We already know about an apparently planned cameo for Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman that was left on the
cutting room floor, but it doesn't end there. In 2022, one of the bigger pieces of superhero news
was the return and subsequent re-dismissal of Henry Cavill in the role of Superman.
It seems Dwayne Johnson was particularly set on Black Adam's nemesis being the Man of Steel and
not Shazam like it is in the comics. This resulted in a cameo from Cavill, back in his original suit,
in the post-credits scene of "Black Adam." However, among the many changes made due to
James Gunn's new creative direction, Cavill was once again dismissed from the role. A side effect
of this is a cameo from Cavill originally planned for "The Flash" getting canned.
One thing very evident from the trailers already released for "The
Flash" is the return of Michael Keaton as Batman.
"Yeah. I'm Batman."
With Ezra Miller's reputation still on the rocks, it makes sense for Warner Bros. to reorient their
promotion of the film around Keaton. Only time will tell as to if his comeback will do justice
to his original back-to-back portrayals in Tim Burton's "Batman" films. However,
what's worth mentioning here is how originally this role in "The Flash"
wasn't the only stop for Keaton on his DC Universe comeback tour.
Keaton's version of the Dark Knight was originally set to appear in the live-action "Batgirl" movie,
with Leslie Grace in the title role. We say "originally" because
the film was scrapped amidst the Warner Media and Discovery merger,
allegedly for cost-saving measures. This was the first of many live-action and animated
projects catapulted into the shadow realm as tax write-offs by the company.
Given the lack of any completed footage available publicly, it's a bit difficult
to gauge just how major Keaton's role would've been. Here's hoping that his
appearance in "The Flash" is meaty enough to make up for his other scrapped performance.
For anyone who's actually read the "Flashpoint" comic book, you'll be aware that there have been
a few changes to that original story. Not only is there a second Barry Allen, but the
background conflict of the Atlantean-Amazonian War waged between Aquaman and Wonder Woman seems
to be missing. However, one of the more notable changes is the removal of Superman from the story.
Due to Barry's meddling in the timestream in the original story,
events both before and after his mother's now-prevented death have been altered. This
includes Kal-El's space pod landing in Kansas. In this revised timeline, it crashes into Metropolis,
killing several people. This means a young Kal-El, instead of being raised on the farm, is treated as
an experiment by the United States Government, sheltered away in a secret holding facility.
If the upcoming movie were a one-for-one translation of the comic, Kal-El would also
appear in this version. However, it appears this Elseworlds backstory has been tinkered to suit
Kal-El's cousin, Kara, as opposed to Superman. These changes more than likely have to do with
aspects of the now-defunct Snyderverse, including Henry Cavill as Superman, being retired as
James Gunn retools the DCU. This means that we'll be seeing the Girl of Steel, played here by Sasha
Calle, portrayed for the first time in live-action film since Helen Slater in 1984's "Supergirl."
Over the years, the Scarlet Speedster has seen more than a few live-action interpretations of
his iconic red and yellow costume. There have been stellar translations, such as John Wesley Shipp's
corny yet timeless outfit in the 1990s television series. Grant Gustin's first few onscreen suits
on the long-running CW series were a welcome update for the character's appearance. However,
not every retooling of the classic suit has been a winner, with many feeling like
bargain bin Halloween costumes. Who could forget Flash's costume from Season 5 of the CW series,
where his bulky helmet made him look more like Turbo Man from "Jingle All The Way"?
There's also his most recent costume from his appearances in the previous version
of the DCU, which is a bit of a mixed bag visually. While definitely a unique look,
the "Justice League" outfit is a bit too busy for its own good,
sporting extra crevices and bits of exposed metal. The future version of "The Flash" we
glimpse in "Batman v Superman" is even busier in this regard, looking more like repurposed
tank parts than a streamlined speedster suit. This upcoming film seems to update this suit,
keeping the lines but swapping its color scheme to a brighter yellow. The suit is also less
mechanical-looking now and feels more like a suit specifically built for Barry's physical build.
With both Warner Media and DC Comics both going through major changes as of late,
is "The Flash" going to be the hard reset for the DCU? On the Warner Media end of things,
the company publicly merged with Discovery back in 2022, resulting in a tidal wave of program
and film cancellations. This included films like "Batgirl" and shows like "My Adventures
with Superman" being canceled or shipped off to new homes like Adult Swim. Many
once-important DC releases, including "Black Adam" and "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," were also delayed.
The other big change was the announcement that director James Gunn and Peter Safran
would be stepping into a role for DC Comics films similar to Kevin Feige's for Marvel. Following
this sizable changeup, Gunn also announced a brand new slate loaded with future films and streaming
content, with the first chapter of this new DC cinematic universe known as "Gods & Monsters."
So with a shiny new cinematic universe on the horizon, will "The Flash" be a vital part of
setting up this new era for DC Comics? Given the recent post-credits scene in "Shazam! Fury of the
Gods," it seems Gunn is still determining which aspects of the old universe will still be in play.
"The Flash. A fantastic movie that I really love that resets the entire DC Universe."
Seems like we'll have to wait for the dust to settle before determining just how much
of a restart Gunn's new universe — and "The Flash" — will actually be.
Another one of the confirmed characters to return for "The Flash" is General Zod,
played by Michael Shannon. Hard to believe that it's already been 10 years since "Man of Steel"
debuted in theaters to a sizably divisive reaction from fans and critics. Regardless
of how you felt about the first chapter of the Snyderverse, there's no denying Shannon turns in
an unforgettable performance. Zod met his end via a controversial neck snap at the end of the film,
with the character only later resurfacing as a corpse in "Batman v Superman."
Needless to say, it'll be interesting to see Shannon back in another DC Comics film
adaptation, even if the actor wasn't originally
up for it. During an interview with The Playlist, Shannon said,
"I was hesitant [to come back] because I wasn't really happy
about what happened to Zack Snyder in that whole deal."
He talked about his appreciation for Snyder and said how surprised he was
when Snyder cast him in the first place; Snyder,
of course, gave Shannon his blessing to return to the role. We can only hope that
Shannon's performance as General Zod is just as bug-eyed and epic as the last time we saw him.
"That is the sole purpose for which I was born."
"The Flash" has been one of Hollywood's more anticipated blockbusters for quite some time,
though not always for the best reasons. Between the changeups at Warner Media,
James Gunn's impending DC Universe, and Ezra Miller's controversial few years, it's had a bumpy
ride to its release. With all of these factors, it definitely began to seem like this movie,
much like "Batgirl," would never see the light of day. However, despite all these roadblocks,
the film is still on track for release, having just debuted at a CinemaCon exclusive screening.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav,
who reportedly saw the film three times, said,
"It's the best superhero movie I've ever seen."
In fairness, this comment comes from the head of the company releasing the film,
so this is more than a little biased. A few other critics have spoken quite highly
of the film though, with Rotten Tomatoes' Erik Davis tweeting,
"Everything you want from a superhero film & more."
ScreenRant's Rob Keyes tweeted,
"It is indeed one of DC's best and fits nicely
as a bridge story between the old and new DCEU franchises."
Finally, Gizmodo's Germain Lussier tweeted,
"It's Back to the Future meets Spider-Man:
No Way Home with all the humor & heart of the former and action and surprises of the latter."
As to how regular audiences will feel about the film,
we'll just have to wait and see as "The Flash" comes sprinting into theaters on June 16, 2023.