The Flash has encountered several speed bumps on its way to the big screen. Originally slated for release in 2018, the film went through a few different creative and writing teams, one of them being Barry Allen actor Ezra Miller and comic book author Grant Morrison, known for their work on "Doom Patrol," "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth," among many others.
Miller enlisted the author to write a screenplay back in 2019, when they were having creative differences with The Flash's directors at the time, along with Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, of Vacation and Game Night fame. Warner Bros. passed on their screenplay, and the film went on to be written by Christina Hodson (Bumblebee, Birds of Prey) and helmed by Andy Muschietti (It, It Chapter Two).
The final iteration of The Flash is under heavy public scrutiny due to Ezra Miller's reported legal issues and alleged incidents. Now, Grant Morrison has opened up about the actor's troubles, sharing their experience working with them.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, the "Doom Patrol" author was asked for their opinion on Miller's controversies. Morrison stated they didn't experience trouble with Miller during their time working together, but admitted they — alongside more of the actor's acquaintances — lost touch with them long ago:
"I know they've had these problems. I haven’t spoken to them for a while, and the last time I spoke was long, long before this. All I can say is that it's just not the person I know. I’ve heard stories just like everyone else. I just don’t know. Ezra cut off contact from pretty much everyone for a while. It's not the person they were. They weren't aggressive in any way. I just thought Ezra was a super-intelligent kid with so many talents. So all I can say is that I didn't see that side in any way with them."
The Flash's Scrapped Screenplay
For context, it was revealed in 2018 that directing duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein was helming The Flash. Then, in 2019, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Ezra Miller had issues with the directors' desire to give the film a light tone. Miller was reportedly interested in a darker story for Barry Allen, and so, they partnered with Grant Morrison to write their own script for the film.
THR reported the outcome of Warner Bros. decision to move forward with the script could have determined Miller either staying on board or stepping down as the Fastest Man Alive. The script was delivered to WB, who, as mentioned, passed on it as Daley and Goldstein exited the project.
The nature of Morrison and Miller's script has largely remained a mystery. During their chat with Rolling Stone, however, Morrison discussed the process behind penning the project. Echoing comments they made to Collider in 2020, the author stated writing the film was stressful, given that Warner Bros. only gave them and Miller two weeks to come up with a screenplay:
"[There] had been a few versions [of the film], and as far as I remember, Ezra just wasn't quite happy with what they were getting at the time. And Ezra had a lot of ideas; they came to me with a book of ideas. And then we worked together. It really was just the two of us. They came over here to Scotland and hung out, and we wrote this thing. I really liked it. Warner Bros. only gave us two weeks! It was cruelty, you know. It was hardcore. We had to be like the Flash to get this thing done, and they were looking for something quite different."
Morrison didn't offer any major details about what the script would have been about, but did mention their story did not involve the multiverse, which is now the main focus of The Flash: "I got paid, and it was good fun. It didn't do the job they were looking for, which was to franchise things and set things up, and bring other characters in. It was a Flash story, so it wasn't where they wanted to go with multiverse and stuff. And that was the end of it."
During the aforementioned Collider interview, Morrison described their Flash script as similar to Back to the Future. Whether that meant a more whimsical tone or the story focusing on time travel remains a mystery.
The Flash is expected to be released on June 23, 2023.