- The Flash will be released on June 16, 2023.
- Ezra Miller stars in the film.
- Michael Keaton is reprising his Batman role.
The Flash is going to be one of the biggest movies of the summer. The drama surrounding Ezra Miller and The Flash threatened the future of the superhero film, but Warner Bros. is forging ahead. After the first trailer was revealed in February 2023, the second official trailer debuted at CinemaCon on April 25, 2023. The hype has continued to grow for The Flash after positive reactions from preview screenings. And director Andy Muschietti even revealed that they’d bring Ezra back for a sequel, despite the controversy, because the actor is that good in The Flash.
The standalone Flash movie has been in the works for years. The future of the DC Extended Universe looked bright when The Flash finally got underway after years of development. From the current release date to the Ezra Miller situation, HollywoodLife has all the latest about The Flash.
The Flash Trailers
The final trailer for The Flash was released on May 23. Barry explains to Ben Affleck’s Bruce that he can travel back in time. “I can fix things. I can save people. I can save my mom. I can save your parents,” Barry says. But Bruce notes that Barry could also “destroy everything.” Barry teams up with Michael Keaton’s Batman and Supergirl to take down General Zod.
The second trailer begins with Keaton’s Batman telling Barry, “I lost my parents. That pain made me who I am. I spent a lifetime trying to right the wrongs of the past as if fighting crime would bring my parents back… You actually did.”
While Barry did save his parents, he “completely broke the universe.” His decision brings back General Zod, and Supergirl agrees to help Barry fight him. Barry has to undo what he did before it’s too late. Ben’s Batman urges Barry to not let his tragedy define him.
“Tell me something, you can go anywhere. Another timeline, another universe, so why do you want to stay and fight to save this one?” Keaton’s Batman asks Barry in the opening moments of the first trailer. Barry responds, “Because this is the one where my mom lives. I’m not gonna lose her again.”
Barry explains that “time has a pattern that it can’t help reliving. Different people, different worlds, drawn to each other like magnets.” He ends up meeting another version of himself.
Ben’s Bruce Wayne warns Barry about the “consequences” of traveling back to the past. While Barry thinks he could “fix” things, Bruce warns that he could “destroy everything.” In the trailer, a scary Barry thinks that he “completely broke the universe” after creating a world with no meta-humans.
“If I can’t undo what I did, if I can’t get back, there might not be a future,” Barry says. He gets some help from Keaton’s Batman and Sasha Calle‘s Supergirl, who makes a grand entrance as the young superhero.
Is There A Future For The Flash Movie?
While rolling out the first plans for the next chapter of DC Studios on January 31, DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran revealed what’s going on with Ezra, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, and The Flash movie. James called The Flash “probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made,” according to THR.
Despite ongoing legal troubles, James included Ezra when he said that “there is nothing that prohibits” them from reprising their role as The Flash in future DCU projects. “Ezra is completely committed to their recovery. We are fully supportive of that journey they are on right now,” Peter noted. “When the time is right, when they are ready to have that discussion, we will all figure out what the best path forward. But right now, they are completely focused on their recovery. And in our conversation with them, in the last couple of months, it feels like they are making enormous progress.”
The actor pled guilty to trespassing in early January 2023 to avoid jail time, according to Variety. They had to pay a $500 fine and face one year of probation. The plea deal also requires Ezra to abide by 41 conditions, including “no drinking, random drug tests, and a commitment to continue seeking mental health treatment.”
Ezra was arrested in March 2022 for disorderly conduct and harassment in Hawaii, according to USA Today. Two days later, a couple who was living with the actor at a hostel filed a restraining order against Ezra. The couple alleged Ezra threatened them and stole a passport and wallet. The restraining order was dropped in April.
Ezra was arrested again on suspicion of assault after allegedly throwing a chair at a woman in April 2022. The actor pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay a $500 fine. In a plea deal, prosecutors dropped the harassment charge and an unrelated traffic charge.
In June 2022, a couple filed for a protective order on behalf of their child, Tokata “Gibson” Iron Eyes. “Ezra uses violence, intimidation, threat of violence, fear, paranoia, delusions and drugs to hold sway over a young adolescent Tokata,” the parents said in court documents. “Ezra has brainwashed Tokata. Ezra Miller has ensured that Tokata is without a phone and has given her bankcard to another of his workers.”
Gibson released a statement on Instagram denying their parents’ allegations against Ezra. “My father and his allegations hold no weight and are frankly transphobic and based in the notion that I am somehow incapable of coherent thought or opposing opinions to those of my own kindred worrying about my well being,” Gibson wrote on Instagram. “I am now aware of the severity of emotional and psychological manipulation I was made to endure while in my parents home.”
Rolling Stone reported that a 25-year-old woman and her three young children have been living at Ezra’s Vermont farm, and sources are worried about the living arrangements. One source claimed that a 1-year-old child allegedly placed a loose bullet they found on the property in their mouth. Variety also reported that a former friend of Ezra’s accused them of alleged harassment following an encounter at her Berlin apartment.
After Ezra’s first arrested in March 2022, Warner Bros. and DC executives held an “emergency impromptu meeting” to discuss the actor’s future with the studio, Rolling Stone reported. According to a source, the “consensus in the room was to hit pause on any future projects involving Miller including possible appearances in the DC Extended Universe.”
The outlet reported that an insider claimed Ezra allegedly had “frequent meltdowns” during production on The Flash and said they were “losing it.” The source added, “Ezra would get a thought in [their] head and say, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’”
In June 2022, Deadline reported that the studio has “tried getting help” for Ezra as Warner Bros. Discover CEO David Zaslav weighs what to do about the actor and The Flash. “There is no winning in this for Warner Bros,” a studio source told the outlet. “This is an inherited problem for Zaslav. The hope is that the scandal will remain at a low level before the movie is released, and hope for the best to turn out.”
At the time, sources said that the studio would likely not keep Ezra in the role of The Flash in future DC films. However, Warner Bros. Discovery has yet to comment officially on the allegations. A lot was already riding on The Flash regarding the DC Extended Universe, and now the future for the DCEU looks more uncertain than ever.
Following Ezra being charged with felony burglary, Warner Bros. is reportedly weighing three scenarios for how The Flash will play out, according to THR. The studio reportedly “received indications” that Ezra will “seek professional help.” If the actor does decide to seek help, they could sit down for an interview to explain what’s been going on. “The actor could then do limited press for The Flash, and the movie would open in cinemas as planned,” the source said.
However, if Ezra doesn’t go with the first scenario, the studio could still release the film. The only caveat is that their star would not play a “prominent role” in marketing and publicity. Ezra would also no longer be The Flash “going forward” and would be recast.
The third option is the worst-case scenario. The studio would scrap the movie altogether. It would be impossible to reshoot the movie with a different actor since Ezra is in nearly every shot of the film.
The studio is still supporting the film, despite the ongoing allegations surrounding its star. Ezra reportedly participated in “regularly scheduled additional photography over the summer, apparently without incident,” according to a THR report. This happened after their two arrests earlier in the year.
Despite all the controversy surrounding Ezra, director Andy Muschietti said that they’d bring the actor back for The Flash 2, if it happens. “I don’t think there’s anyone that can play that character as well as they did,” Andy said about Ezra on the Discourse podcast, according to Entertainment Weekly. “The other depictions of the character are great, but this particular vision of the character, they just excelled in doing it. And, as you said, the two Barrys — it feels like a character that was made for them,” he added.
When Is The Flash Release Date As Of Now?
The Flash is currently expected to be released on June 16, 2023. The movie was bumped up a week from June 23 after positive test screenings. The original release date was actually March 23, 2018. When Andy Muschietti signed on to direct The Flash, the film was given a new release date of July 1, 2022, followed by June 3, 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Flash was initially delayed to November 4, 2022. The Flash’s release date was moved again to June 23, 2023, when Warner Bros. changed its release schedule again.
Filming began on April 19, 2021, in England. Production wrapped on October 18, 2021.
What Is The Flash Movie Supposed To Be About?
In a video explaining the upcoming DCU slate, James revealed that The Flash “resets the entire DC universe.” You can watch the full video below.
Here are just a few of our plans. Up, up, and away! #DCStudios #DCU @DCComics pic.twitter.com/8XNDNLUEPq
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 31, 2023
Warner Bros. hasn’t released an official synopsis for The Flash, but director Andy Muschietti has given his own rundown of the film. “It is a story of time travel: Flash travels back to try to save his mother. It is a spectacular action movie but it has a big heart,” he revealed on the Argentinian radio station Metro 95.1 in 2020. He also teased to ThatHashtagShow that The Flash will show a “different version of Flashpoint than you’re expecting.”
The relationship between Barry and Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne will be a key element of The Flash. “He’s a very substantial part of the emotional impact of the movie. The interaction and relationship between Barry and Affleck’s Wayne will bring an emotional level that we haven’t seen before,” the director told Vanity Fair. “It’s Barry’s movie, it’s Barry’s story, but their characters are more related than we think. They both lost their mothers to murder, and that’s one of the emotional vessels of the movie. That’s where the Affleck Batman kicks in.”
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s multiverse taking over, Warner Bros. is trying to kickstart its own multiverse. The Flash movie is supposed to be the film that initiates the DC multiverse, connecting DC films and TV projects together. This is why we’re getting both Keaton and Affleck’s Batmans in the movie. The film is inspired by the DC Comics storyline Flashpoint, which features Barry finding himself in a different DC Universe.
The first teaser was revealed during DC FanDome in 2021 but has yet to be released publicly. Michael Keaton’s voice is heard asking The Flash why he wants to save this world. “You change the future and you change the past,” Keaton’s Batman says. The Flash, along with another Flash and Supergirl, show up in the Batcave. Batman walks up in his signature suit. “Are you in?” The Flash asks Batman.
Who Is The Creative Team?
Andy Muschietti is directing The Flash. He’s best known for directing It and It: Chapter Two, which were both juggernauts at the box office for Warner Bros. The screenplay was written by Christina Hodson, who notably wrote Bumblebee and Birds of Prey.
Who Is In The Remaining Cast?
- Ron Livingston as Henry Allen: Ron is replacing Billy Crudup, who previously played the character in the DCEU.
- Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman: Michael is reprising the role he played in Batman and Batman Returns.
- Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman: Ben has played Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.
- Kiersey Clemons as Iris West
- Michael Shannon as General Zod
- Antje Traue as Faora-Ul
- Sasha Calle as Supergirl
- Maribel Verdu as Nora Allen
In an interview with Esquire Middle Earth, The Flash director Andy Muschietti revealed that Nicolas Cage will play Superman in the film. “Nic was absolutely wonderful. Although the role was a cameo, he dove into it…I dreamt all my life to work with him. I hope I can work with him again soon… He is a massive Superman fan. A comic book fanatic.”
Nicolas was famously cast as Superman in Tim Burton’s Superman Lives. The movie was supposed to be released in 1998, but it was eventually abandoned during development.
Grant Gustin has played Barry Allen/The Flash in The CW series The Flash since 2014. Ezra has appeared in the series as a version of The Flash during the show’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event, which has sparked speculation that Grant may appear in The Flash movie. Grant will reportedly make a cameo in The Flash film, according to Illuminerdi. However, this has not been confirmed by Warner Bros.
Sasha Calle revealed that she met up with Henry Cavill and he approved of her performance as his on-screen super-powered cousin. “I met him actually after the movie was done, months later. I gave him a big hug,” Sasha told EW. “You know, it’s Henry Cavill, man! Our Man of Steel. He is kind and very proper, and it was a great experience. I asked him, ‘Did I make you proud, cuz? Does Superman approve?’ And he was like, ‘Absolutely. You did a phenomenal job.’ I think, to me, that meant the world, because it’s Henry Cavill, Man of Steel.”
Fan Demand For Elliot Page
In the wake of the controversy surrounding Ezra, fans began to call for Elliot Page to replace Ezra as Barry Allen/The Flash. “Just want to take this moment to say Elliot Page would make a great Barry Allen, in case there’s ever a need to, you know, cast a new Flash, for whatever reason,” TV editor Lissete Lanuza Sáenz tweeted, which has now been liked over 60,000 times.
Elliot currently stars as Viktor Hargreeves in the hit Netflix series The Umbrella Academy. The third season received critical acclaim for how it handled Viktor’s transition, reflecting Elliot’s real-life transition. The Oscar nominee, who uses he/they pronouns, publicly came out as transgender in December 2020.
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This story originally appeared on Hollywoodlife
