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For a movie about DC Comics’ fastest superhero, The Flash has taken an awful long time to arrive. However, after years of delays and setbacks, the Scarlet Speedster’s solo feature is closer than ever to happening, with filming expected to begin in April. That said, word’s come in that The Flash will not see Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen reuniting with Ray Fisher’s Victor Stone, a.k.a. Cyborg, as once anticipated.
Back in summer 2016, it was reported that Ray Fisher would appear as Cyborg in The Flash, though at the time, it was unclear what his role would entail. Now The Wrap is reporting that Cyborg has been written out of The Flash and will not be recast. So while a new actor could have been hired to succeed Ray Fisher in the role, it was decided to excise Cyborg from the story entirely.
For those who follow Ray Fisher on social media, this news shouldn’t come as a complete shock. Last week, Fisher tweeted that as long as DC Films president Walter Hamada was still working at Warner Bros, he would “not participate in any production” associated with Hamada, namely for his role in the drama surrounding Joss Whedon’s behavior during the Justice League reshoots. Well, Hamada has since signed a new deal that will keep him at Warner Bros through 2023, so it’s easy enough to connect the dots and understand why Cyborg will no longer appear in The Flash.
After cameoing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ray Fisher made his full Cyborg debut in Justice League, which saw Victor Stone teaming up with Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Superman to defeat Steppenwolf and his Parademon army. We’ll see Fisher as Cyborg later this year in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which will air as a four-part miniseries on HBO Max (use the following link to sign up for the streaming service if you’re not already subscribed), but with the character’s removal from The Flash and Walter Hamada still holding the DC Films reins, that could end up being the last time we see him playing the technopathic superhero (which would obviously mean he’d also no longer star in a Cyborg movie). Fisher is the second actor to play Cyborg in live-action; he was preceded by Lee Thompson Young on Smallville and followed by Jovian Wade on Doom Patrol.
While specific plot details regarding The Flash still haven’t been revealed, we’ve known for years that it will be inspired by the 2011 storyline Flashpoint, which saw Barry Allen waking up in a drastically altered version of the main DC universe. In the Flashpoint reality, Cyborg fills Superman’s role as the United States’ greatest superhero, so it’s entirely possible that Ray Fisher’s version of the character would have occupied a similar position in The Flash. Whether that was the case or we would have simply seen the original version of Fisher’s Cyborg, it’s a moot point now.
However, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be plenty of familiar faces appearing alongside Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen in The Flash. Along with Billy Crudup expected to reprise Henry Allen, Barry’s father, the movie will feature both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s versions of Batman. Similar to what the MCU is doing with the next live-action Spider-Man movie and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Flash will open the doors to the DC multiverse. So rather than Barry having to deal with the main DCEU being changed, it looks like he’ll instead visit different realities. So don’t be surprised if alternate versions of other DC heroes pop up as the Fastest Man Alive races along.
The Flash is set to hit theaters on November 4, 2022, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on its progress. Keep track of other DC movies headed to theaters with our comprehensive guide.
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