Slowly but surely, Warner Bros. and DC Comics are filling out the ranks of their big screen Justice League. We've known for a while now that Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot are playing Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, respectively, and rumors have suggested actors like Jason Momoa and Ray Fisher will be taking parts like Aquaman and Cyborg. There are still a few names that have not yet been revealed, but today we have news of another huge casting announcement: Ezra Miller will be playing the first live-action feature film version of Barry Allen, better known to most as The Flash.
The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news, noting that The Flash will be getting his very own solo film in 2018. It's worth noting that this date is about one year after Zack Snyder's Justice League Part One, and there's no mention in the trade report if Flash will be a part of that film or not. It is possible that the studio is planning to hold off the hero's introduction to the superhero team until Justice League Part Two comes out in 2019, but it's interesting that they would choose to lock Miller in for the role now if that's the case. Variety suggests that he could wind up making a cameo in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but it doesn't sound like that's been 100% confirmed.
This is definitely an interesting move on Warner Bros. behalf, as this isn't the only new live-action version of Flash that we've been hearing about lately. Last night saw the debut of the second episode of the brand new Flash television series that is airing on The CW (and is in a shared universe with the DC Comics' based Arrow series). That show stars Grant Gustin in the lead role, and while some fans were still holding out hope that there would exist some crossover between the DC TV and film projects (a la what Marvel Studios is doing with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the upcoming Agent Carter), Miller's casting confirms that will never actually happen (that is, unless they find a way to open up the multiverse).
At 22 years old, Ezra Miller is still only ocming up in the film industry, but he already has some solid work under his belt. He impressed both critics and audiences with his disturbing turn in the 2011 thriller We Need To Talk About Kevin, and in 2012 he earned a good amount of acclaim for his performance as Patrick in the Perks of Being a Wallflower adaptation. He most recently worked on Judd Apatow's new comedy Trainwreck, which stars Amy Schumer in the lead role and will be out next year.
The Flash does not yet have a writer or director attached, but you can be sure that this is a project we will be following every step of the way.
