The Flash is an 2023 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, Double Dream, and The Disco Factory, and set for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is intended to be the 13th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Christina Hodson and stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash alongside Ron Livingston, Michael Keaton, Kiersey Clemons, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Sasha Calle, and Ben Affleck. In the film, Allen travels back in time to prevent his mother's murder which brings unintended consequences.
Development of a film based on the Flash began by 2004, with multiple writers and directors attached to the project through 2014. The film was then redeveloped as a part of the DCEU, with Miller cast as the title character. Multiple directors were attached to the film over the following years, with Seth Grahame-Smith, Rick Famuyiwa, and the duo of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein each departing the project due to creative differences. Muschietti and Hodson joined the film in July 2019, and pre-production began in January 2020. The film is influenced by the comic book storyline Flashpoint, featuring multiple DC Comics characters, including both Affleck and Keaton reprising their respective versions of Batman. Filming took place from April to October 2021 at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, and on location around the United Kingdom.
The Flash premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on June 12, 2023, and was released in the United States on June 16, following multiple delays caused by director changes, the COVID-19 pandemic, post-production setbacks, and controversies surrounding Miller. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its humor, action sequences, and the performances, but criticized the third act and its visual effects. The film was a box-office bomb, grossing $271.3 million worldwide against a budget of $200–220 million.
Plot[]
| Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film. |
After helping Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince stop a bank robbery from a terrorist group gone wrong in Gotham City, Barry Allen revisits his childhood home and remembers his youth with his parents Nora and Henry, before Henry's wrongful imprisonment for Nora's murder. Overcome by his emotions, Barry accidentally uses the Speed Force to travel back in time to earlier in the day and informs Bruce about it. Despite Bruce's warnings that time travel can have unintended consequences, Barry goes back to the day of Nora's death and prevents it from happening. As Barry returns to the present, he is knocked out of the Speed Force by another speedster and ends up in an alternate 2013 where his mother is alive. He finds his past self and realizes he has arrived on the day he originally obtained his powers.
Barry and his younger self go to the Central City Police Department, where Barry forces 2013-Barry to be struck by lightning in order to recreate the accident that gave him his powers. Both Barrys end up getting struck by the lightning, giving 2013-Barry his powers, but causing Barry to lose his own powers in the process. As Barry struggles to train 2013-Barry on how to properly use his powers, the two of them see a broadcast by General Zod, who is preparing to invade Earth.The Barrys attempt to assemble the Justice League but are unsuccessful, as in this timeline, they are unable to locate Diana, Victor Stone has not gained his abilities yet, and Arthur Curry was never born. The two travel to Wayne Manor, hoping to find Bruce, but instead find an alternate, older version of him who has retired from crimefighting. Bruce explains the concept of the multiverse, revealing that using time travel to alter history not only affects events after the alteration, but before it as well, explaining why Barry notices changes to the timeline that occurred before his initial point of time travel. The two Barrys convince Bruce to help them find Kal-El.
Using a backdoor connection to NASA within the Batcomputer, Barry and Bruce are able to locate a Kryptonian pod that was reportedly discovered in Siberia. Upon arrival, they instead find Kal-El's cousin, Kara Zor-El. After rescuing Kara from the facility, Barry asks Bruce to help him get his powers back by recreating the original accident. The first two attempts fail and nearly kill Barry, prompting Kara to fly Barry into the storm and get struck by lightning a third time, successfully reviving his powers. Kara and Bruce join the two Barrys to fight Zod's forces. During the battle with Zod, Kara learns that Zod intercepted an infant Kal-El's escape pod and killed him during a failed attempt to retrieve the Codex needed to repopulate the Kryptonian species, with Zod revealing the Codex was within Kara. The two fight, with Zod overpowering and killing Kara and obtaining the Codex from her blood, while Bruce also sacrifices himself in an unsuccessful attempt to take down a Kryptonian ship.
The two Barrys travel back through time to save their companions, but are unable to change their fates. Barry realizes that they will not be able to save them, but 2013-Barry keeps trying, repeatedly traveling back through time, but always failing. As 2013-Barry travels, the multiverse starts to collapse in on itself. Eventually, the corrupted speedster who originally knocked Barry out of the Speed Force returns and is revealed to be a future version of 2013-Barry, who still believes he can save his world from Zod, and prevent the deaths of Bruce and Kara. He explains the causal loop paradox that led to his own creation, but grows angry when Barry reveals his intention to reverse the changes to the timeline by letting Nora die. Enraged, the dark speedster attempts to kill Barry, but impales 2013-Barry, who sacrifices himself to save Barry and wipes the dark speedster from the timeline.
In the aftermath, Barry undoes the changes he made to the timeline and comes to terms with his mother's death; however, he makes a minor change in the past, creating new evidence in the present day that proves Henry's innocence. After returning to the present and helping to exonerate Henry, Barry is contacted by Bruce, whose appearance has changed once again as a result of Barry's timeline change.
Cast[]
- Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash:
- A police forensic investigator from Central City and member of the Justice League who can move at superhuman speeds using the Speed Force. Miller described Allen as multi-dimensional, with human flaws. Miller also portrays an alternate younger version of Barry from 2013, and a dark, corrupted older version of the same Barry, who is referred to as "Dark Flash". Ian Loh portrays a young Barry in flashbacks, and Ed Wade, who is Miller's acting double, physically portrays 2013-Barry in scenes featuring both versions of the character.
- Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl:
- A powerful Kryptonian with powers, abilities, and a costume similar to her cousin Superman. Calle is the first Latina actress to portray Supergirl.
- Michael Shannon as General Zod:
- A Kryptonian general who possesses th same powers as Superman and was killed by him in Man of Steel (2013). This version hails from an alternate timeline, where Kara landed on Earth instead of Kal-El. Shannon received Man of Steel director Zack Snyder's blessing to reprise his role, after initially being hesitant to do so given the troubled history between Snyder and Warner Bros. regarding his later DCEU productions.
- Ron Livingston as Henry Allen:
- Barry's father, who was wrongfully convicted of his wife's murder. Billy Crudup previously played the character in the DCEU. Billy Crudup previously played the character in Justice League (2017) and its director's cut Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021).
- Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen:
- Barry's mother who was murdered in his youth.
- Kiersey Clemons as Iris West:
- A journalist for the Picture News and love interest for Barry Allen.
- Antje Traue as Faora-Ul:
- General Zod's second-in-command, who was sent to the Phantom Zone at the end of Man of Steel.
- Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman:
- A wealthy socialite from Gotham City who moonlights as a crimefighting vigilante. This version of Wayne hails from an alternate universe. Keaton reprises his role from Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), with this film ignoring the events of the subsequent films Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) which Keaton did not star in.
- Ben Affleck appears, uncredited, as the original version of Bruce Wayne from Barry's timeline and the leader of the Justice League, reprising his role from past DCEU appearances. Director Andy Muschietti said the character has a substantial emotional impact on the film through his relationship with Barry, in part because their mothers were both killed. Affleck said his scenes in the film were his favorite as the character and a "nice finish" for his time as Batman up to that point. He added that he felt that the five minutes of his scenes in the film were the first time he "really understood the character" and figured out how to play him.
- George Clooney appears, uncredited, as a variation of Bruce Wayne, replacing Affleck's version in the ending; Clooney previously portrayed the character in Batman & Robin.
- A wealthy socialite from Gotham City who moonlights as a crimefighting vigilante. This version of Wayne hails from an alternate universe. Keaton reprises his role from Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), with this film ignoring the events of the subsequent films Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) which Keaton did not star in.
Also reprising their respective DCEU roles are Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Temuera Morrison as an alternate version of Tom Curry from 2013-Barry's timeline, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, and Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman. Additionally, Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso respectively portray Patty Spivot and Albert Desmond, Barry's co-workers, whilst Sanjeev Bhaskar appears as Barry's boss, David Singh. Luke Brandon-Field portrays Al Falcone, the leader of a terrorist crew who robs the bank in the beginning of the film. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau appears as a man whom 2013-Barry steals a piece of pizza from, and director Andy Muschietti makes a cameo appearance as a reporter Barry steals a hot dog from in the present day. Karl Collins appears as Henry Allen's lawyer.
The DCEU version of Clark Kent / Superman also appears through the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) using Henry Cavill's likeness; Cavill had filmed additional scenes as the character for the film, but they were removed during post-production. Nicolas Cage makes a cameo appearance as an alternate version of Superman, after he previously voiced the character in the unrelated animated film Teen Titans Go! to the Movies (2018); he was originally cast as Superman in Tim Burton's unproduced film Superman Lives. Cage shot his scenes through volumetric capture and CGI was used to de-age him. Through the use of artificial intelligence and deepfaking, previous incarnations of Superman, Batman, and Supergirl appear during the "Speed Force" sequence, including Christopher Reeve as Superman from the 1978–1987 Superman films, Helen Slater as Supergirl from Supergirl (1984), Adam West as Batman from the 1966 film and television series, and George Reeves as his version of Superman from Superman and the Mole Men (1951) and Adventures of Superman (1952–1958), through the use of archive footage. Archival recordings of Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson as their versions of The Joker from the 1960s series and 1989 film, respectively, are also featured. The character Jay Garrick also appears through the use of CGI. It was initially reported that the character's likeness was that of actor Teddy Sears, who had a recurring role in the television series The Flash (2014–2023) as Hunter Zolomon / Zoom, who masqueraded as Garrick in the show's second season. While Sears denied shooting any new material for the film or being informed of the cameo prior to release, he acknowledged the resemblance, stating "I mean... that looks like my likeness". When approached for comment, the studio claimed the appearance of the character was not based on any notable actor.
Production[]
Development[]
Early attempts[]
Development of a film based on the DC Comics character the Flash began in the late 1980s when Warner Bros. hired comic book writer Jeph Loeb to write a screenplay. Warner Bros. hired David S. Goyer to write, direct, and produce a new version of The Flash in December 2004 after he impressed them with his script for Batman Begins (2005). Goyer approached Ryan Reynolds to portray Wally West / The Flash after working with him on the Marvel Comics-based film Blade: Trinity (2004), and intended to have the character Barry Allen appear in a supporting role. Goyer was influenced for the film's tone by Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and the Flash comic book runs by Mike Baron, Mark Waid, and Geoff Johns. By early February 2007, Goyer left the project due to creative differences with the studio, and Shawn Levy was hired to direct and oversee the writing of a new draft written by Chris Brancato, which used elements from Goyer's script. Later that month, Warner Bros. announced the development of a Justice League film with Michelle and Kieran Mulroney writing the screenplay. George Miller signed on to direct the film, entitled Justice League: Mortal, in September, with Adam Brody cast as the Flash. It was envisioned as the start of a franchise with planned sequels and spin-offs, including the Flash film.
Levy left The Flash in October 2007 due to scheduling conflicts with Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009). David Dobkin took over as director and began developing the film as a spin-off from Justice League: Mortal with a focus on Wally West. Craig Wright was writing a script for the film the next month, before Justice League: Mortal was canceled and Warner Bros. set a 2008 release for The Flash. Further development was delayed due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Charles Roven joined the project as a producer by July 2009, with Geoff Johns consulting and writing a film treatment that Dan Mazeau adapted into a screenplay. In October, Roven said the studio was not confident enough in their take to greenlight the film, though Mazeau disputed this and said the film was moving forward as planned. In June 2010, Green Lantern (2011) writers Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, and Marc Guggenheim were hired to write a new treatment for The Flash based on a recent comics run by Johns that featured Barry Allen.
DC Extended Universe[]
Warner Bros. was planning a new shared universe of films based on DC Comics by July 2013, and had tentative plans to release a Flash film in 2016. In October 2014, Warner Bros. and DC Films announced a slate of planned projects as part of the new DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The Flash was set for release on March 23, 2018, with Ezra Miller set to star in the film as Barry Allen / The Flash; Miller first made cameo appearances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Suicide Squad (2016), starred in the team-up film Justice League (2017), and briefly appeared in the Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (2019–20) which acknowledged a wider DC Multiverse. Warner Bros. offered James Wan the choice of directing a movie about either Aquaman or the Flash, and he ultimately chose to make Aquaman (2018). By April 2015, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were writing a story treatment for the Flash film with the possibility of directing it. After they decided to direct Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) instead, Seth Grahame-Smith entered negotiations to write and direct the film based on Lord and Miller's treatment in October 2015. Grahame-Smith was set to make his directorial debut with the film, with Roven producing, and Deborah and Zack Snyder executive producing. In February 2016, the film's release date was moved forward to March 16, 2018. Grahame-Smith left the project that April, citing creative differences. Warner Bros. chose to retain his script, and he was still expected to be involved in the project moving forward, while Lord and Miller were also still involved as producers. A search for a replacement director began immediately.
Rick Famuyiwa was hired to take over as director in June 2016, with Warner Bros. feeling that Famuyiwa's vision for the film would both resonate with younger audiences and also be compatible with Grahame-Smith's existing script. Filming was expected to begin later in 2016 and was not believed to be delayed by the director change. Famuyiwa's top choice to portray the film's female lead, Iris West, was Kiersey Clemons who he had worked with on Dope (2015). Rita Ora and Lucy Boynton were also in the running for the role, but Clemons was cast as the character at the end of July. At that time, Warner Bros. gave the film's release date to Tomb Raider (2018), leaving The Flash without a release date. In August, Ray Fisher was set to appear in the film, reprising his role as Victor Stone / Cyborg from Batman v Superman and Justice League. Famuyiwa completed a revision of the script a month later, when Gal Gadot was set to reprise her role as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman from Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman (2017), and Justice League, and Billy Crudup was in negotiations to portray Barry's father Henry Allen. Clemons and Crudup both filmed cameo appearances for Justice League after being cast in The Flash. Pre-production began by October ahead of a filming start in March 2017, scheduled before another commitment that Miller had in July. At the end of October, Famuyiwa left the project after not being able to "come together creatively" with the studio, who disagreed with the more mature direction that Famuyiwa wanted to take the film.
The film was put on hold while the studio searched for a new director and Miller prepared to film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). During that time, Warner Bros. decided to take the film in a new direction and in January 2017, Joby Harold was hired to do a page-one rewrite of the script. He handed in a draft by May, when the studio's top choices to direct were Robert Zemeckis and Matthew Vaughn. Both had expressed interest in the project, but had potential scheduling issues that could prevent them from taking it on. Sam Raimi, Marc Webb, and Jordan Peele had already turned down offers to direct the film, as did Ben Affleck who portrayed Bruce Wayne / Batman in previous DCEU films. At the July 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, the film was announced with the new title Flashpoint, based on the comic book of the same title in which Allen travels back in time to save his mother's life and accidentally creates an alternate timeline. Dan Mazeau contributed to the script during this time. Johns confirmed in November that the Flashpoint concept would allow the film to tell a unique story about Batman, with the comic book storyline exploring a timeline where Thomas Wayne is Batman; Jeffrey Dean Morgan expressed interest in reprising his role as Thomas Wayne from Batman v Superman.
In January 2018, the filmmaking duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein entered negotiations to write and direct the film after the studio chose not to wait for Zemeckis' schedule to be free. Daley and Goldstein were confirmed as directors in March, and the film's title reverted to The Flash the next month. Filming was expected to begin in Atlanta in February 2019, but Miller's commitments to Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) delayed filming again. The Flash was aiming for a 2021 release at that point. In mid-March 2019, Miller was revealed to be writing a new version of the film's script with comic book writer Grant Morrison. Miller disagreed with the light-hearted approach to the film that Daley and Goldstein were taking, though that was Warner Bros.' preferred direction for it. The new script could be submitted to the studio by the end of the month, and if the studio did not like Miller and Morrison's take there was potential for the actor to leave the film; Miller's holding deal to star in the film was expected to end in May. The studio rejected Miller and Morrison's script in May, but asked Miller to remain as star of the film. Daley and Goldstein left the project in July, and Warner Bros. chose Christina Hodson to write a new screenplay for the film after writing their DC film Birds of Prey (2020). Andy Muschietti entered negotiations to direct the film, with his sister Barbara set to produce alongside Michael Disco. A January 2020 pre-production start was expected. The involvement of Muschietti and Hodson was confirmed in November 2019, when filming was expected to begin in 2021 after Miller finished filming The Secrets of Dumbledore. A month later, Warner Bros. scheduled The Flash for release on July 1, 2022.
Pre-production[]
Muschietti said in January 2020 that the film would still adapt elements of the Flashpoint comic book storyline, but the film would be telling a different version of that story. In April, the film's release was moved forward to June 3, 2022, when Warner Bros. shifted their schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That June, Michael Keaton entered early negotiations to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne / Batman from Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). Fisher discussed his role as Cyborg in the film with Muschietti that month, before Warner Bros. set a two-week shoot for Fisher to film what was referred to as a cameo appearance alongside other Justice League actors. Fisher said the studio only offered to pay him a fraction of his traditional salary for reprising the role. In August, Keaton was confirmed to be appearing in the film, and Affleck agreed to reprise his version of Batman. Muschietti explained that the film would be introducing the idea of the multiverse to general audiences by including multiple versions of characters and acknowledging past film franchises based on DC Comics as alternate universes. It was important for Muschietti to include Affleck in the film since his version of Batman is the "baseline" for the DCEU, and he felt the introduction of Keaton's Batman would not work as well without first seeing the Flash's relationship with Affleck's Batman. Affleck chose to return, after saying he had retired from the character, because he would have a smaller role in the film.
During the virtual DC FanDome event "Explore the Multiverse" in September 2020, Barbara Muschietti said the film would feature many characters from the DC Universe and the Flash would serve as the bridge between them and their different timelines. She added that the film would be used to restart the continuity of the DCEU without disregarding the events of the prior films. Crudup, who left the film during the changes in directors, entered negotiations to rejoin the project a month later. Clemons' involvement was uncertain at that point. The film's release was pushed back to November 4, 2022, due to further pandemic-related delays, and filming was set to begin in March 2021 in London. Warner Bros. had written Cyborg out of the film by January 2021 after Fisher refused to work on any project that DC Films president Walter Hamada was involved in. Fisher said this was due to Hamada's handling of an investigation into the on-set behavior of Justice League's replacement director Joss Whedon. The role of Cyborg was not expected to be recast. Andy and Barbara Muschietti arrived in the United Kingdom to prepare for production, with filming set to begin in April at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, after Miller finished on The Secrets of Dumbledore. In February, construction for sets at Leavesden Studios had begun, Crudup was confirmed to be returning, and Sasha Calle was cast as Supergirl. Calle was chosen from a group of more than 425 actresses that also included Bruna Marquezine. All auditions for the role, as well as chemistry tests with Miller, took place over Zoom.
In March 2021, Clemons signed a new deal to star as Iris West in the film after her role in Justice League was cut and appeared in Zack Snyder's Justice League (director's cut). Maribel Verdúwas cast to portray Barry Allen's mother Nora Allen, but Crudup was forced to drop out of the film due to scheduling conflicts with his series The Morning Show. The role of Henry Allen was expected to be recast. At the end of March, Keaton said he had received an older version of the script but had not yet read it, and would have to read the latest draft before deciding if he could commit to the film. He also cited the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom as a concern for his involvement, as well as balancing his other commitments. Shortly after, Ron Livingston was cast to replace Crudup as Henry Allen, with Ian Loh cast as a young Barry Allen, and Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso joining in undisclosed roles. Before filming began, Keaton was confirmed to be starring in the film, with Muschietti believing Keaton's decision to join The Flash was due to the script that he had been sent. Muschietti said Keaton felt honored to play Batman again. The Muschiettis formed a production company, Double Dream, to co-produce the film, and Marianne Jenkins was revealed as an executive producer. Fisher said it would be a "bummer" if the situation surrounding his involvement in the film was not resolved, and said he would return to the role of Cyborg for the film if Warner Bros. were to make amends with him.
Filming[]
Principal photography began on April 19, 2021, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, in England, under the working title Baby Shower. Henry Braham served as cinematographer. In early May, filming took place at Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire, which doubled for Wayne Manor. In mid-June, Miller, Clemons, Keaton, and Calle filmed scenes at St Paul's Cathedral in London, with the surrounding locations designed to portray Central City. Filming was also set to occur later that month in Edinburgh and Glasgow—doubling for Gotham City—for scenes with Affleck and Keaton. In late July, filming continued in Glasgow at Ingram Street, George Square, John Street, and Cochrane Street, and involved several vehicles, while filming with the Batmobile occurred in George Square. On July 29, filming was halted after a camera operator on a motorcycle shooting behind the Batcycle on Renfield Street collided with it near West George Street. The operator was injured, but not "seriously hurt". In August, Braham said the film was "technically complex" despite not being based in reality, and called the concept of featuring the different generations of comic books in it fantastic. In early September, Luke Brandon Field said he had joined the cast. Filming wrapped on October 18, 2021.
Post-production[]
Paul Machliss and Jason Ballantine serve as the film's editors, while John "DJ" Desjardin serves as the visual effects supervisor after previously doing so for several DCEU films. In December 2021, Michael Shannon and Antje Traue were revealed to be reprising their roles from Man of Steel (2013) as General Zod and Faora-Ul, respectively. Former co-directors of the film John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein were also confirmed to be receiving story credit for the film alongside Hodson. Temuera Morrison, who portrays Aquaman's father Thomas Curry in the Aquaman films, was reported to be in the film in February 2022.
In March 2022, Warner Bros. adjusted its release schedule due to the impacts of COVID-19 on the workload of visual effects vendors. The Flash was moved to June 23, 2023, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was also moved from 2022 to 2023, to allow time for their visual effects work to be completed; The Flash had around 2,500 visual effects shots that needed to be completed. The following month, the final writing credits were revealed: Hodson received screenplay credit; Daley, Goldstein, and Harold received screen story credit; and off-screen credit for additional writing material went to Rebecca Drysdale, Famiyuwa, Grahame-Smith, Johns, Lord, Chris Miller, Ezra Miller, Morrison, and Adam Sztykiel. In May, Deadline Hollywood reported that an unspecified "high-profile" comic book film releasing in 2023, which had its script recently submitted to the Writers Guild of America (WGA), had a total of 45 writers who were involved in the script at various stages of its development, with some commentators believing this film was The Flash, due to the number of publicly known writers who previously were attached. Miller participated in "regularly scheduled additional photography" in mid-2022.
Following several controversial incidents and arrests involving Ezra Miller throughout 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery (the then-newly formed parent company of Warner Bros. Pictures) began feeling mounting pressure to consider different options for the film after previously hoping that its delayed release would help avoid the controversy. In August, the studio was considering the following options: if Miller received professional help they could give an interview explaining their behavior and then do limited press for the film, which would be released as planned; if Miller did not receive help then they could be excluded from all press for the film and the role would potentially be recast for future projects; or if the situation with Miller deteriorated further, the film could be canceled as a "last resort". The latter would be an "unprecedented move" due to its large $200 million budget, though it would come after Warner Bros. Discovery had already canceled the nearly-complete $90 million film Batgirl that was being produced for the streaming service HBO Max. The studio was not considering replacing Miller with another actor in this film due to them portraying multiple characters and appearing in nearly every scene. The film was considered to be "key" for the studio's future DCEU plans, and had been received well during test screenings despite Miller's legal troubles. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said at the time that he had seen The Flash, it had received positive responses from the studio, and they were committed to releasing it in theaters. Miller released a public apology through their representative soon afterward and announced that they were seeking professional treatment for "complex mental health issues". Machliss stated that the film was the first to use new technology to feature different versions of an actor on screen.
In December 2022, the film's release date was moved forward to June 16, 2023, following positive test screenings, while The Hollywood Reporter reported that Henry Cavill and Jason Momoa were set to make respective cameo appearances as Superman and Aquaman, and that Cavill had filmed his role in September. The studio was reportedly debating on retaining the cameos depending on their future plans for the characters, with plans for the film not yet finalized as it had yet to enter picture lock. Cavill's cameo, along with one Gal Gadot had filmed as Wonder Woman, were soon reported to have been cut, after DC Studios chose not to move forward with sequels to Man of Steel and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). Cavill was paid $250,000 for his cameo in The Flash. In March 2023, Affleck revealed that he filmed a scene with Gadot, who appeared in an in-progress cut of the film screened at CinemaCon the following month. The following month, Muschietti revealed some of the planned cameos that did not make the final film, including Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman from the television series Wonder Woman (1975–1979), Marlon Brando's Jor-El from Superman (1978), Burgess Meredith's Penguin and Cesar Romero's Joker from the series Batman (1966–1968), and Grant Gustin's Barry Allen of the Arrowverse continuity.
Paul Machliss and Jason Ballantine serve as the film's editors, with Ballantine having previously worked on Muschietti's films It (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019). Muschietti's initial cut of the film was around four hours long. John "DJ" Desjardin serves as the visual effects supervisor after previously doing so for several DCEU films.
Revisions to the film's ending[]
The ending for the film, which features George Clooney reprising his role as an alternate Bruce Wayne due to Barry's actions, changed multiple times during post-production due to the constant change of leadership at Warner Bros in 2022. The original ending shot for the film, conceived by then-heads of DC Films Toby Emmerich and Walter Hamada, would have had Keaton's Batman, as well as Calle's Supergirl continue existing in the new timeline but erase Cavill and Affleck's respective roles of Superman and Batman from the DCEU continuity, with plans for a sequel to The Flash before building up to a Crisis on Infinite Earths film in the future (despite The CW already having done its adaptation of the comic in 2019–20 which included the DCEU in its continuity). This reportedly was to set up the then-in-development Batgirl film before it was canceled in August of that year, as Keaton was set to reprise his role as Batman in that film.
After the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. in 2022 and the removal of Emmerich and Hamada, executives Michael DeLuca and Pamela Abdy took over, and decided to keep Cavill within the continuity and reshot the ending – Cavill shot his part for this ending along with his cameo for Black Adam (2022) in September; Gadot also filmed a scene for this ending. This was intended to drum up interest for the planned Man of Steel sequel and third Wonder Woman film, before both were canceled. In November, James Gunn and Peter Safran became the new heads of now-DC Studios, and planned to completely reboot the franchise under a new name – the DC Universe (DCU). As a result, Cavill no longer was expected to reprise his role and his scene was cut, while the ending was again reworked without Calle, Keaton and Gadot's characters, and the final ending with Clooney and Miller was shot in January 2023, which was kept under wraps until the film's premiere in June.
Music[]
Benjamin Wallfisch was set to compose the film's score by April 2021, reuniting with Andy Muschietti after working on his film It and It: Chapter Two. Wallfisch also previously wrote the score for DC's Shazam! (2019). By late August 2022, Wallfisch was set to begin a scoring session at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Marketing[]
Miller debuted the first footage from the film at the virtual DC FanDome event in October 2021. They said there was not enough footage available to make a trailer or teaser, but William Hughes at The A.V. Club felt the released footage could comfortably be categorized as a teaser. He noted that this was proof of the film actually being made after its long and troubled production history. Polygon's Matt Patches and io9's James Whitbrook both highlighted the footage as the beginning of the DC multiverse on film, with its hints at Keaton's version of Batman and the reveal that Miller would portray multiple versions of Barry Allen. In February 2022, more footage was released as part of a teaser for Warner Bros.' 2022 slate of DC films, which also included The Batman, Black Adam, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (before both the latter and The Flash were delayed to 2023). A new trailer was shown at Warner Bros.' CinemaCon panel in April 2022, and was noted by attendees for Keaton's Batman reusing the line "You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts" from Batman.
DC Comics is set to publish a three-issue prequel comic book limited series titled The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, written by Kenny Porter with art by Ricardo López Ortiz, Juan Ferreyra, and Jason Howard. The first issue was released on September 13, 2022, and features a variant cover by Andy Muschietti, which was followed by the second issue on October 11, and the third issue on November 8. The comic series is set after the events of Justice League and depicts Batman training the Flash and the Flash's early days as he attempts to defeat the supervillains Girder, Tar Pit, and the Top. A trade paperback collection of the limited series will also be released. The first trailer for The Flashwas shown during Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023, before playing in theatres ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The trailer had the most engagement on social media, outpacing other trailers that were shown in the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, with RelishMix reporting the trailer gained 97.4M views within a 24-hour period. Many commentators highlighted Keaton's reprisal as Batman and Calle's role as Supergirl, and also noted the de-emphasized focus on Miller's Flash following their controversies. Charles Pulliam-Moore of The Verge particularly felt that "it’s the other heroes they’re [the Flash] going to be allying with who are likely to steal the show", and felt that Supergirl and Keaton's Batman were being posited as the film’s "World's Finest", and expressed enthusiasm for Supergirl's role in the story. Alli Rosenbloom from CNN also praised Keaton's appearance, highlighting the usage of Danny Elfman's score from Batman, while Collier Jennings from Collider felt that trailer "certainly is working to sell the image that the wait was worth it".
In April 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery's Global Consumer Products division and DC unveiled a series of merchandise to coincide with the release of the film, including toys produced by Mattel, Funko, Spin Master, and McFarlane Toys, costumes by Rubies, and Puma shoes. It was also announced that a visual companion would accompany the film's release, titled The Flash: The Official Visual Companion: The Scarlet Speedster from Page to Screen, written by Richard Lotowcyz and published by Insight Editions. An in-progress cut of the film was screened at CinemaCon on April 25, 2023. A second trailer and poster were released online the same day. Joshua Rivera at Polygon noted the trailer focused heavily on Keaton's Batman, including starting and ending with him, and felt it leaned into nostalgia, while David Crow of Den of Geek compared the trailer's tone and Batcave design to that of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012). The final trailer was revealed on May 22, 2023, along with a new poster exclusive to the Chinese market. The trailer, set to Pink Floyd's "Time", confirmed the appearance of Jeremy Irons, reprising his DCEU role as Alfred Pennyworth.
Warner Bros. had difficulty marketing the film due to Miller's legal issues. As such, WB focused on marketing the "film itself", according to The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit and Aaron Couch, rather than focusing on Miller; during press conferences, WB opted to sideline Miller and pivoted towards director Andy Muschietti, producer Barbara Muschietti, and Sasha Calle to promote the film. The studio also made intensive efforts to highlight Keaton's role as Batman in order to introduce nostalgia, though Kit and Couch felt the results were mixed, as they opined some felt it was derivative of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Additionally, the studio provided advanced screenings to various figures, including Tom Cruise and Stephen King, to improve discourse surrounding the film, while WBD CEO David Zaslav and DC Studios co-CEO and co-chairman James Gunn touted it as "among the greatest superhero movies of all time". Various insiders felt the marketing campaign was unconventional, who had felt WB was setting very high expectations for the film.
Shortly after the film's release, a six-part Apple podcast that was intended to be a companion piece towards the film was announced, with Max Greenfield voicing the role as The Flash. It was later established as a canonical continuation, with the events of the audio podcast being set a few years after the ending. The series is set to be included with the film's physical home media release.
Release[]
The Flash premiered on June 12, 2023, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. It was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on June 16, 2023. The film was initially scheduled for release on March 23, 2018, when Warner Bros. first announced its slate of DCEU films, before it was moved to March 16. In July 2016, this release date was given to Tomb Raider, and The Flash was not given another release date until the hiring of Andy Muschietti in July 2019, after which the film was slated for release on July 1, 2022. It was then moved up to June 3, 2022, before being delayed to November 4, 2022, after Warner Bros. shifted its release schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Warner Bros. again adjusted the release date to June 23, 2023, in view of the impact of the pandemic on the workload of visual effects vendors before moving it forward a week to June 16, 2023, after positive test screenings. The film was released in 78 non-domestic markets in its first week from June 15 and an additional 65 countries later.
This is the first film to feature the new Warner Bros. Pictures logo designed by Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv; the new Warner Bros. shield was initially used as the corporate logo of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Twitter leak[]
On June 26, 2023, a camera recording of The Flash was illegally posted onto Twitter. Before it was removed by moderators eight hours after it was leaked, the film was viewed by 1.7 million users. Earlier in the year, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was leaked onto Twitter and was viewed by at least 9 million users before the post was removed. Much like the Mario leak, the leak of The Flash was made possible by a feature of Twitter Blue which allowed subscribers to upload high-quality videos of up to one hour in length; the earlier incident raised questions about Twitter's anti-piracy ability, staff reductions, and potential abuse of its private tools.
Box office[]
As of July 6, 2023, The Flash has grossed $102.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $146.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $249.1 million. Against its $200-220 million budget, the film is considered one of the biggest box-office bombs of all-time - with expected losses for Warner Bros. to be as much as $200 million - the fifth-straight bomb of the DCEU and the third-straight to be unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the United States and Canada, The Flash was released alongside Elemental and The Blackening, and was initially projected to gross $68–85 million from 4,232 theaters in its opening weekend. It was also expected to gross $85–95 million internationally, for a global opening of $155–165 million. After making $25.4 million on its first day (including from $9.7 million Thursday night previews), estimates were lowered to $60 million. It went on to have a $55 million domestic opening, with an additional $75 million from international markets, for a worldwide debut of $130 million. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the film debuted atop the box office with £4.2 million ($5.4 million). Several publications, including The Hollywood Reporter and TheDirect, attributed the low opening to the various controversies surrounding Ezra Miller, mixed word-of-mouth, competition from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the imminent DCU reboot, decline of the superhero film genre, and middling critical reviews. The film retained IMAX screens and other premium formats into the next weekend, which could have provided some padding from what was expected to be a steep box office decline from its opening weekend. In its second weekend, the film dropped 72% to $15.1 million, the third-largest sophomore drop ever for a superhero film, behind Morbius (2022) and Steel (1997). In its third weekend, the film dropped another 65% to $5.2 million, losing 1,538 theaters and finishing in eighth place in the process.
Reception[]
The Flash received overall mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Early reviews for the film generally praised the humor, action sequences, and the performances, but criticized the third act and visual effects. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 64% based on 345 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Flash is funny, fittingly fast-paced, and overall ranks as one of the best DC movies in recent years." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on 54 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Though audience reception trended more positively toward the film, those polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, tied with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) as the lowest grade for a DCEU film, while PostTrak reported 77% of filmgoers gave it a positive score, with 59% saying they would definitely recommend it.
The film's use of digital imagery to recreate the likenesses of deceased actors was criticized, with commentators questioning the ethics behind them; Andy Muschietti said the crew were given "total freedom" with these cameos.
Future[]
By October 2022, a script for a sequel had been written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, in the event The Flash performed well. The script reportedly included Keaton's Batman and Calle's Supergirl. Warner Bros. was not expected to retain Miller for future films due to the actor's controversies and legal issues, although some Warner Bros. executives were open to continuing with Miller by January 2023 since they began treatment. Later that month, DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran said there was potential for Miller to reprise their role in the new franchise, the DC Universe (DCU), but a decision on the character had not been made.
Gunn confirmed that The Flash would reset the continuity of the DCEU and, alongside Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, would lead into the DCU's first film Superman (2025). Andy Muschietti said in May 2023 that if he and Barbara Muschietti were involved in a sequel, they would have Miller return and believed that there was not another actor who could portray this iteration of the character the same as Miller did. In June, it was reported that a sequel could happen if the film managed to come close to the box-office revenue of The Batman (2022). The poor box-office performance of the film left a sequel in question. In October 2023, Variety reported that no actors from Zack Snyder's DCEU films would be reprising their roles in the DCU (including Miller), effectively ending any chances of a sequel.
Videos[]
