Warner Bros.’ slate of upcoming DC movies has undergone several shake-ups in the past couple years, and it hasn’t all been good. That caveat particularly applies to the recently announced plans to shelve the Batgirl movie that was supposed to go to HBO Max. It’s a decision that has a lot of people scratching their heads, but it also opens the door to a greater question: what’s going on with Ezra Miller’s role as The Flash?
The world is still reacting in the wake to Warner Bros.’ decision to scrap directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s DC comic movie-- which stars Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. In the midst of its initial reporting, Variety also addressed the question of The Flash’s theatrical release plans; which were already in question to a certain extent. The short-short answer is that the studio is still thinking about what to do, with no decision in sight.
With Ezra Miller involved in several controversies involving some serious accusations of grooming and endangerment, The Flash almost feels like a candidate for reshoots to remove its lead. Then again, director Andy Muschietti’s film isn’t exactly a $70 million HBO Max exclusive like Batgirl was.
Clocking in with an estimated budget of $200 million, fans have worried that The Flash could head to streaming itself. Though that wouldn’t fit the logic based on the decisions we’ve just described, especially with the concerns about budget and profit. A potential further complication is that the already wrapped Batgirl has presumed connections to other DCEU movies.
The Flash is the crossover movie that brings both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s versions of Batman together for the first time. As Keaton had reprised his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batgirl, and Affleck is supposed to reappear in Aquaman 2, one would assume that The Flash is an important cog in the DC machinery going forward. With Batgirl’s shelving, that claim loses half of its charge, as Michael Keaton’s ongoing role would now be diminished.
If there was anything keeping The Flash up and running, it’s potentially the same thing that killed Batgirl: test audiences. Ezra Miller’s film allegedly tested rather well with audiences, which Warner Bros. brass probably values as a key component to keeping the DC movies rolling.
Meanwhile, Leslie Grace’s Batgirl was supposedly labeled “irredeemable” by its testing feedback. You should still take those reactions with a grain of salt, as this is all second-hand reporting based on “sources.” We may get more answers soon, as Warner Bros Discovery will be reporting the financial results of Q2 2022 this week.
The fate of Batgirl, and maybe even The Flash, might be discussed in that briefing, which means the world will be paying more attention than ever to the still freshly merged corporation. For now, The Flash is still on track to be released on June 23, 2023; but that could change at any moment.
