The Flash will make his full DC Extended Universe debut later this year in Justice League, but Barry Allen's solo adventure afterwards remains in limbo. The Scarlet Speedster's movie has been plagued with troubles over the last year, most recently with Dope director Rick Famuyiwa dropping out of helming the flick due to creative differences with Warner Bros. That happened in late October 2016, and since then there's barely been any word on how The Flash is progressing...until today. Now comes word that the movie is being rewritten.
It's being reported that King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Robin Hood: Origins writer Joby Harold has been brought on to do a "page one rewrite" of The Flash script. According to Variety, with Ezra Miller about to shoot Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2, Warner Bros decided to use that time to have someone work on a new script, as they're keen on taking the story in a "new direction." Both Rick Famuyiwa and Seth Grahame-Smith, who had been attached as director before Famuyiwa, had written drafts. There wasn't an update provided about the search for a new Flash director, although the studio is reportedly taking their time finding a replacement.
The Flash has been solidified as one of the most troublesome productions in the DCEU. Announced as part of Warner Bros' original DC movies slate reveal in late 2014, it's been hit with issue after issue since then. Warner Bros had their eye on Phil Lord and Chris Miller to direct after they wrote a story treatment, but the duo declined due to their busy schedule with the young Han Solo movie and other projects. In October 2015, Seth Grahame-Smith was brought aboard as writer and director, and had he stayed on, The Flash would have been his feature film directorial debut. However, Grahame-Smith exited in April 2016 due to creative differences, and two months later, Rick Famuyiwa was tapped as his replacement that June, but he left four months afterwards. It's been a rough ride.
Cast-wise, nothing is expected to change with the script rewrite. Ezra Miller will obviously still play Barry Allen, while Kiersey Clemons and Billy Crudup are still attached to appear as Iris West and Henry Allen, respectively. While an entire rewrite (excluding some basic elements here and there) is certainly drastic, it also could be the right way to move forward. By starting from scratch, the Scarlet Speedster's story can be tackled with a new perspective, and any issues from the previous drafts won't be an issue any longer. Still, just because someone new is behind the keyboard doesn't mean The Flash is out of the woods with these creative obstacles yet.
The Flash was originally expected to be released on March 16, 2018, but since production didn't begin this month as expected and now this script rewrite, there's no way that's happening now. We'll keep you updated on how the movie is progressing as more news comes in.
