It’s an exciting time to be a DC fan, especially after the events of last weekend. DC Fandome recently took place, where Warner Bros. shared new footage from a number of highly anticipated superhero blockbusters. This includes Ezra Miller’s Flash movie, and one producer also revealed how the DC flick was affected by the pandemic.
After years in development hell, production on The Flash finally began last spring. The solo project is being directed by Andy Muschietti, and produced by his sister and frequent collaborator Barbara Muschietti. While revealing some thrilling footage, the producer explained how the DC blockbuster was ultimately influenced by COVID-19. As she put it,
We prepared a lot and we were ready to go because we're really good planners, and then a global pandemic hit, and then all the plans went to the toilet and we had to start again. The first part of the process was truly seeing how we were gonna keep everything together and had no parameters because no one knew what was going to happen. But we were all absolutely excited to make this movie and we all stuck together, Ezra, Andy, I, our team, it basically meant that we had to wait for about six months. We had more time to prep in a way, got the script to a better place which is always fantastic, and then we started shooting in April.
Isn’t it fascinating to see how the sausage gets made? Because while moviegoers will be treated to a completed vision when The Flash finally hits theaters, things were very stop and go for those making the blockbuster into a reality. It should be interesting to see how this extended development period ultimately informs the theatrical cut.
Barbara Muschietti’s comments come from her recent appearance at the DC Fandome, in the panel specifically focused on the upcoming Flash movie. Since Ezra Miller’s solo movie has taken so long to finally come to theaters, fans are certainly invested. And that’s especially true thanks to the inclusion of both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as Batman.
The entertainment industry came to a screeching halt when COVID-19 became a global pandemic and sets around the world were shut down. While some movies like The Batman had begun filming, The Flash luckily hadn’t. But the pandemic still influenced production, as Barbara Muschietti further explained:
It's been a non-stop, crazy adventure because COVID doesn't make things easy. But we're all so fortunate to be working and healthy. We haven't shut down the movie, we've been extremely lucky. It's luck. That's how we prepared it, with a lot of luck. And also, Ezra and Andy together have more energy than any human pair I've ever met (laughs). They've kept us all going basically when things were hard because they are hard in the world we're living. They just inspired us and kept us going, and we're almost there at the finish line.
While the first footage for The Flash inspired more questions than it answered, it looks like filming on the DC blockbuster went swimmingly. There were no COVID-related shutdowns, and production recently wrapped. We’ll just have to wait and see what exactly the timeline-traveling story entails.
The Flash is currently expected to arrive in theaters on November 4th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
