To say we’ve been waiting a long time for The Flash movie would be an understatement, because the DC Extended Universe incarnation of this project was officially announced back fall 2014. As of now, the Scarlet Speedster’s solo movie, which wrapped filming in October 2021, is set to come out in summer 2023, but apparently this movie could a big deal beyond finally giving Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen the opportunity to lead his own adventure. The Flash also reportedly holds the key to the future of Warner Bros.’ DCEU slate.
Sources who spoke with Variety claim that The Flash has “been extraordinarily well received” in early test screenings, and despite Ezra Miller having caught attention lately for various incidents with authorities in Hawaii, we learned in May that Warner Bros. does not intend to recast the role of the DCEU’s Barry Allen. Furthermore, this new report lays out how it’s also simply too expensive to scrap The Flash’s release entirely, so despite the trouble Miller’s gotten into, this movie will come out with them as the lead star. Furthermore, WB reportedly sees The Flash has more than just your average superhero movie. Given that it follows Barry Allen traveling through the multiverse, along with potential sequels to The Flash naturally being on the table, this story could also launch spinoffs or other crossover events.
Just like what Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness did for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Flash is opening up the DCEU’s multiverse (although technically the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” TV event got a jump on that since Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen met his doppelgänger played by Grant Gustin). Currently The Flash is set to be followed by Blue Beetle in August 2023 and Batgirl at a yet-to-be-revealed date, and there are a variety of other DC movies in development. Still, The Flash definitely feels like the “biggest” DC movie WB has slotted right now, and its success could dictate where the DCEU corner of the DC movies line goes in the coming years.
This news about The Flash comes shortly after it was reported that Toby Emmerich is stepping down as Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Chair following the merger between WB and Discovery. Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy are taking over Emmerich’s duties, and reportedly Discovery chief David Zaslav is making DC Films a top priority, including apparently courting Joker director Todd Phillips to work as an advisor on DC properties. We’re clearly coming closer to a new DC Films chapter unfolding, and The Flash is being primed as an especially important offering in this corner of the superhero movie market.
Let’s also not forget that The Flash will feature the return of both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck’s respective versions of Batman, and the movie’s other notable cast members include Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Michael Shannon as General Zoe, Antje Traue as Faora-Ul, Sasha Calle as Supergirl, Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen and Ron Livingston taking over as Henry Allen. IT’s Andy Muschietti directed the feature, and Birds of Prey’s Christina Hudson wrote the script.
The Flash races into theaters on June 23, 2023, and CinemaBlend will keep passing along updates about both this blockbuster and the other upcoming DC movies.
