If The Flash film were a person, it'd probably be a guy who has taken one too many punches to the gut, and is starting to take blows to the face. With several director hirings and departures in its history already, the film's slated March 16, 2018 release date seems to be more of a placeholder than an actual target. This seems even more valid after hearing remarks made by the man who will be Henry West himself, Billy Crudup, stating that the exact status of the film's production is very unknown at the moment. Billy Crudup recently said the following when asked if he knew when the DC Comics project was going to start filming:
It's unclear at the moment. I think Ezra [Miller's] schedule. Ezra's a busy man. He's very popular and excellent.
During his press rounds for his current project, Alien: Covenant, Billy Crudup noted that Ezra Miller's schedule is complex, and he's certainly not wrong in that respect. In addition to playing Barry Allen, and his supersonic alter ego, Ezra Miller is also involved in a little franchise by the name of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. With the second film in the Harry Potter prequel series set to film during this summer, the prognosis doesn't look great that The Flash will be able to meet its current March 16th release date in 2018 with all of the post production involved with a big blockbuster of that ilk. Short of becoming a faster-than-light being himself, DC could be cutting it close to try to make it happen.
This "up in the air" sort of prognosis for The Flash, courtesy of Billy Crudup's interview with Bad Taste, is only the latest factor that's caused a delay for the film's inception. Not only is another round of rewrites currently underway, there's still the need to find a new director to replace the previous candidates who have abdicated the throne. Both Seth Grahame-Smith and Rick Famuyiwa walked away from the project's directorial duties, and as such, The Flash still doesn't have a new candidate to head up its production. And from what we're seeing in the Warner Bros camp at the moment, we might not see this void fulfilled any time soon.
While several other DC Comics films are rumored to go into production this year, there seems to be an attitude among the folks at Warner Bros that if the studio has to take some time off and miss a deadline, then it will be worth it if the end result is a film that sells audiences on the vitality of the DCEU. So while Billy Crudup will be seen as Henry West in Zack Snyder's Justice League this November, we may not see him reprise the role for some time after that performance is revealed. So if Ezra Miller wants to get into character real fast, he can do so by speeding to the rescue of The Flash as soon as possible.
The Flash is penciled in for March 16th, 2018, so don't be surprised if that date changes. In the meantime, you'll be able to see Billy Crudup on screens all over with Alien: Covenant, which opens on May 19th, and Justice League, which debuts on November 17th.
