DC film fans, particularly those who support the three films of Zack Snyder, haven’t had a lot to celebrate in 2022. Yes, the dedicated Snyder Cut community banded together just long enough to get Snyder’s legendary version of Justice League released on HBO Max early in 2021. But Warner Bros. made it abundantly clear in the wake of that release that The Snyder Cut should be viewed as closure on the SnyderVerse, and calls to “Restore” Zack Snyder’s vision have fallen on deaf ears. Now, rumors are swirling that the upcoming DC feature The Flash is going to use a Flashpoint riff to erase all traces of Snyder’s influence, though Ezra Miller reportedly is weighing in to stop that theory in its tracks.
Ezra Miller has an Instagram account that he hardly uses, but seems to have replied to a fan in the DMs (via Reddit) expressing concerns that The Flash will be “erasing Zack’s movies.” In the message posted below, Miller seems to shoot this rumor down, and we’ll dig deeper into the details on the other side.
Let’s get to the rumor that made the rounds over the New Year’s break, and discuss its veracity. Though no fan truly knows that is due to happen in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash, it’s being rumored that the movie will mark Ben Affleck’s final return as Batman, and that Henry Cavill’s Superman will appear, but only on a television set, using archival footage. Given the fact that Michael Keaton is scheduled to return as Batman in the universe-hopping story, and also that he’s been confirmed to appear in the Leslie Grace-led Batgirl movie, Snyder fans are seeing this possible move as a phasing out of all Snyder influences.
In addition to those rumors, the mill churned out theories that a new Justice League team would be formed following The Flash, with Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck being replaced by Sasha Calle (Supergirl) and Leslie Grace (Batgirl). The JL would continue to include SnyderVerse holdovers such as Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Ezra Miller (Flash) and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman). But that’s not enough for Snyder’s passionate fanbase.
Now, given Ezra Miller’s DM statement, this seems to imply that The Flash is NOT erasing Zack Snyder’s universe. But it’s also clear that the Snyder arc he had planned following Justice League are never going to happen. DC and Warner Bros. are heading in a different direction, and it's a mix of feature films and HBO Max series, with offshoot projects including The Batman also on the radar. Snyder, himself, followed his compass over to Netflix, where he launched a new zombie franchise and is prepping the sci-fi thriller Rebel Moon. The DC universe appears to have shifted to the back of his mind, for the moment.
We will see what impact The Flash has on the current DCEU timeline when the movie opens on November 4, 2022. And be sure to use our complete guide to 2022’s upcoming movies to help you plan out your movie-going year!
