The Flash has been through multiple writers and directors, and has even seen its lead star team up with a comic book writer to pen a screenplay he was hoping they would choose over the one Warner Bros. was planning to use at the time. With all that in mind, it's no great surprise that some fans are convinced that the DC Comics adaptation will never reach the big screen.
Well, according to Ezra Miller, both
The Flash and the next
Fantastic Beasts movie are
"absolutely confirmed."
The last
Fantastic Beasts movie was a critical and commercial disappointment, but the only way Warner Bros. is giving up on that franchise is if they start losing a considerable amount of money.
As for
The Flash,
IT: Chapter 2 director Andy Muschietti is attached to direct a screenplay that's currently being worked on by
Bumblebee and
Birds of Prey scribe Christina Hodson. It's hard to imagine the Fastest Man Alive racing into theaters for a long time to come as a result, and who knows what will change in the DCEU between then and now.
Are you still interested in a movie featuring
The Flash?
Hit the "View List" button to check out a recap of the up,
downs, and "creative differences" which have plagued The Flash!
The Flash Begins...
Phil Lord and Chris Miller were initially hired to write
The Flash in April 2015 (it ended up only being a treatment), and while there was a chance they might also direct, those hopes were dashed when they instead chose to work on
Solo: A Star Wars Story. Later that year, Seth Grahame-Smith signed up to helm the project and he also took another pass at the screenplay.
However, the following year, he parted ways with Warner Bros. over "creative differences." We never learned what those were, but it was said that the studio would keep his script (which makes sense, especially as he has far more experience in that realm than as a director).
At this point,
The Flash was still set to be released on March 16th, 2018, and the prevailing theory was that it would adapt
Flashpoint. Either way, Rick Famuyiwa was later named the movie's new director (because he "provided a vision that would resonate with young viewers" according to the trades) and the casting process finally started to heat up...
Casting Central City
With Famuyiwa racing towards that 2018 release date, he chose Kiersey Clemons to play Iris West. The actress worked with the filmmaker on
Dope and beat the likes of Rita Ora and Lucy Boynton to the role. Variety later reported that Cyborg actor Ray Fisher would reprise his
Justice League role in The Flash, while Billy Crudup soon boarded the project as Henry Allen.
Jumping ahead for a moment, you'll no doubt be well aware that both Clemons and Crudup shot scenes for
Justice League. However, the former was completely cut, and we learned from leaked VFX images that Barry Allen was meant to meet Iris while saving her from a car crash (out of costume). Crudup, meanwhile, still appeared as Henry in Iron Heights alongside Miller's Barry.
The Rogues
Miller had nothing but good things to say about Famuyiwa during an interview at Comic-Con in 2016, and it was later confirmed that the director was putting his own stamp on the screenplay.
It was around this time that reliable sources started reporting that
The Flash's villains would be The Rogues or, more specifically, Captain Cold and his sister Golden Glider. This appeared to contradicted rumblings about a
Flashpoint adaptation and it instead seemed like that was a plotline being saved for the
Justice League sequels by Zack Snyder.
Those movies were definitely set to delve into time-travel, but we've never learned how
The Flash would have lined up with Snyder's post-apocalyptic vision of the DC Extended Universe.
More "Creative Differences"
We didn't even get to the end of 2016 before
The Flash lost another director to "creative differences."
Famuyiwa was reportedly hoping to deliver a slightly edgier take on the Fastest Man Alive, but pushback from Warner Bros. seemingly made things impossible for him; however, you can't really blame the studio, especially as the darker DC Comics movies that were released in 2016 were met with a mauling from critics (making them extremely cautious with
The Flash, it seems).
"I pitched a version of the film in line with my voice, humor, and heart," the director said.
"While it’s disappointing that we couldn’t come together creatively on the project, I remain grateful for the opportunity." As time passed, that 2018 release date looked increasingly unlikely.
Works Starts Over Again...Again!
It was back to the drawing board as 2017 began and Warner Bros. decided to task Joby Harold (
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,
Robin Hood) with rewriting the screenplay from scratch. This meant we had to throw out everything we knew about the movie, and with
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald on the horizon, Miller's schedule was looking mighty busy.
With Clemons talking about making her debut as Iris West in
Justice League and Warner Bros. denying that Crudup had left the DC Extended Universe alongside Famuyiwa, rumors started swirling about who would next direct the project.
Back to the Future helmer Robert Zemeckis was named a favourite, while Sam Raimi and Matthew Vaughn were also said to be on the list of frontrunners. There were even claims that Lord and Miller could be asked back to work on the movie, something that got fans very excited indeed.
Flashpoint!
Those talks never led to anything significant, and as another Comic-Con rolled around, we got confirmation from Warner Bros. that the movie was set to be titled
Flashpoint. As we mentioned a little earlier, there were rumours about this being an adaptation of that storyline since day one, but it was made finally official, and it looked like the studio had a solid direction to take this solo outing in.
Aquaman and Wonder Woman were rumoured to appear, and it looked like Harold's screenplay was finished.
That may sound like good news, but as the year started winding down, we heard that Warner Bros. was waiting to see how
Justice League did before making any decisions about
Flashpoint and President Toby Emmerich explained that while they were closing in on a director, the movie's budget had made them somewhat cautious about shooting it.
More Directors Enter The Mix
Geoff Johns confirmed that Batman would be in
Flashpoint, and all the signs were pointing to that being Jeffrey Dean Morgan (reprising his role as Thomas Wayne from
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). It was all rather exciting, but there were clearly still issues behind the scenes, along with rumblings that Warner Bros. wanted to recast Clemons before her scenes leaked online.
While this was playing out, Ben Affleck's time as Batman also appeared to be winding down, but there were reports that he would show up in
Flashpoint as a "passing of the torch" of sorts.
On the plus side, the movie once again got new directors, this time in the form of
Spider-Man: Homecoming writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Reliable sources revealed that Ben Affleck was also offered the director's chair but it seems as if he wasn't really that interested.
A Whole New Story
With another rewrite in the works from the newly appointed directors, plans changed yet again and the movie lost the
Flashpoint title. Apparently, Warner Bros. was looking to cast the likes of Caitlin Snow and Heatwave, while Officer Fred Chyre would have appeared as a Keystone City cop working with Barry Allen to investigate the death of Jonathan Chambers/Johnny Quick.
Dr. Arthur Light, meanwhile, was said to be
The Flash's lead villain and it was claimed that
"the film would include some references or potential flashbacks to Barry's accident, an accident we're told that will include Eobard Thawne in an interesting way." The movie was definitely shaping up to be a solo outing rather than what almost appeared to be a spinoff
Justice League movie.
Some Crazy New Ideas
As work continued on this new version of
The Flash, a few different names were added in behind the scenes role but shooting clearly wasn't going to begin until 2019. A 2021 release date was a possibility, while Miller promised
"a f*cking crazy-dope Flash movie" in one interview.
Suddenly, things got real quiet with this DC Comics adaptation and while generic updates kept popping up regarding shooting dates, it was clear that nothing was set in stone at this point in time.
The actor would go on to tease a "Speedster Multiverse" and it definitely sounded like Daley and Goldstein had some pretty big plans. However, things then got seriously weird for
The Flash.
Competing Screenplays
Clearly unhappy with the direction
The Flash was heading in, Miller chose to team up with comic book writer Grant Morrison to write his own version of the screenplay. While
The Game Night directors were planning to deliver a lighter, comedic take on the character, Miller wanted to take things down a darker route similar to what Snyder once had planned for this shared world.
However, this same report made it clear that Warner Bros. was happy with Daley and Goldstein's vision, and while they were happy to indulge Miller, it didn't sound like they were overly keen.
At the time, we heard that the actor could end up leaving the project if Warner Bros. chose not to go with his and Morrison's screenplay and while we've heard nothing about that since then, the studio once again decided to take the Scarlet Speedster's movie in a new direction...
Another Fresh Start...And A Possible Release Window
Due to "creative differences" (again), Warner Bros. instead turned to
IT: Chapter 2 director Andy Muschietti to take the helm of the movie. The script they worked on was thrown out - along with Miller's - and
Bumblebee and
Birds of Prey scribe Christina Hodson is now said to be writing a new version.
Miller is still attached to star so he must be happy with this compromise, but with the studio starting over yet again, production now isn't expected to begin until next January. As a result, a movie originally set to be released early last year is now taking aim at a 2021 or 2022 release date. Well, hopefully!
After all, with so many creative problems surrounding
The Flash, it's hard to say whether Muschietti will stick around, and there's still a chance Miller will decide against starring in the movie.
It's been quite a saga for The Flash but things are finally starting to look up for the DC Comics movie. We hope! What do you guys think the future holds in store for the Fastest Man Alive?
Continue reading below for a recap of the rise and fall of Ben Affleck's Batman!
Batfleck Backlash
On August 22nd, 2013, Ben Affleck was announced as the new Batman for what was then being billed as an untitled Man of Steel sequel. Despite his impressive turns in movies like The Town and Argo, there was an immediate backlash and fans really weren't on board with him playing the Caped Crusader.
Here on CBM, the article revealing the news received over 1500 comments with gems like, "[I'm] just really not a fan of this news... [I] feel like DC hates us," "Nothing about Affleck screams Bruce Wayne or Batman," and "NO. No way, this has got to be a joke surely? I mean, BEN AFFLECK? BEN AFFLECK!?!?!?!? No way. I refuse to believe it." And those are just the clean ones!
This wasn't a good start for Batfleck and the actor later talked about being told by Warner Bros. to not pay too much attention to what was being said online. Unfortunately, things would only get worse for him from there...
Batman v Superman Bombs
As time passed, the images and trailers made it clear that Affleck was a great choice to play the hero (visually, at least) and when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hit theaters, pretty much no one had anything bad to say about his version of the character.
Unfortunately, the movie took an absolute pounding and the actor became a meme thanks to an interview which saw him dubbed "Sad Affleck." He clearly wasn't happy with the way things were going, but remained attached to direct a Batman movie he'd been writing with comic book scribe Geoff Johns and was lined up to appear in Suicide Squad.
Still, he can't have been pleased about starring in a critical flop as it hurt his status as a director and was like Daredevil all over again.
A Pointless Suicide Squad Cameo
When set photos showed Batman chasing down The Joker and Harley Quinn, fans were extremely excited to see how that would play out in Suicide Squad. Unfortunately, his appearance there boiled down to an underwhelming car chase in which he never interacted with the Clown Prince of Crime and a far too brief battle with Deadshot which was a total disappointment.
On the plus side, we did get a pretty cool mid-credits scene featuring Bruce Wayne and Amanda Waller.
The main problem was that Suicide Squad was another critical flop for Warner Bros. and while Batman's role was brief, this was another bad superhero movie (according to the critics, at least) that Affleck's name was attached to. It was at this point that he clearly started to grow frustrated with the role.
Ben Affleck's Frustrations
"With Live by Night, it took me a year and a half to write and get ready, and I worked really hard and — it’s just, nobody gave a sh*t!," Affleck told Jimmy Kimmel when asked for an update on The Batman. "But with Batman, I keep on getting, ‘Where’s the f***ing Batman script?!’ I’m like, ‘Whoa — I’m working! Give me a second!'"
It seemed like the pressure was getting the best of him. Live by Night (which Affleck directed while shooting Batman v Superman and Justice League, thereby taking his attention away from that movie) was a critical disappointment and that really can't have helped.
It was around this time that rumours about him being done with Batman after Justice League started gaining traction and it seemed as if his days as the hero might be numbered. However, fans held out hope because The Batman was still in the works. Well, not for much longer, unfortunately!
The Batman Falls Apart
Affleck's version of The Batman would have pitted the Dark Knight against Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke and that was an idea fans could get on board with (especially with Johns contributing his comic book knowledge to the script).
On January 30th, 2017, the actor issued the following statement about no longer directing the movie:
"There are certain characters who hold a special place in the hearts of millions. Performing this role demands focus, passion and the very best performance I can give. It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require. Together with the studio, I have decided to find a partner in a director who will collaborate with me on this massive film. I am still in this, and we are making it, but we are currently looking for a director. I remain extremely committed to this project, and look forward to bringing this to life for fans around the world."
That was it for his version of The Batman but things still looked good because at least Affleck was going to team up with a new director to bring the movie to life, while still playing the Caped Crusader. Hell, he even declared at Comic-Con that, "I am the luckiest guy in the world, Batman is the coolest f***ing part in any universe." Matt Reeves was hired but things didn't go as we thought.
Creative Differences?
Reeves quickly made it clear that he was not only making changes to Affleck and John's script; he was totally rewriting it from scratch. What was going to be an action movie along the lines of The Raid was to be transformed into a noir thriller and the director clearly had a different vision for how Batman's story should play out, hence why we started hearing rumblings about it being a prequel.
Whether or not Affleck's departure had something to do with creative differences behind the scenes is hard to say, but it really didn't feel like these two were ever on the same page and that when Warner Bros. hired Reeves, they knew he wanted to essentially reboot the character and take him down a more standalone path which isn't necessarily connected to the wider DC Extended Universe.
The Justice League Dilemma
We really don't need to recap what went wrong with Justice League again but the fact is, this was the third DC movie that Affleck starred in which was met with scathing reviews from critics.
He can't have been happy with that and the writing was on the wall at this point.
Sure, we were hearing stories that he might play Batman one final time in Flashpoint to bring a close to his time as the character while a younger actor would take over in The Batman, but once that fell apart and Warner Bros. decided to focus on standalone story, it was apparent that it was simply a matter of time before it was made official that he would no longer be playing Bruce Wayne.
A New Batman
It feels like we spent all of 2018 sifting through rumours about who could be the next Batman and names like Jack O'Connell, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Richard Armitage continued popping up online.
Nothing concrete was revealed, of course, and as far as we were concerned, Affleck was technically still attached to the role. His personal life was in disarray, though, as he re-entered rehab and clearly had more on his plate than playing a superhero again.
The trades and fansites weighed in but nothing was made official until earlier this week.
Batman, No More
This week, The Batman got a release date: June 25th, 2021. It won't star Ben Affleck, though, and a new actor is being sought after by Matt Reeves. The movie will reportedly be a noir-type detective story that finally sheds some light on why the Dark Knight has been described as the World's Greatest Detective.
We don't know if this will be a reboot, a prequel, or a standalone adventure unrelated to Justice League. However, after months of conflicting reports and rumours, we now know that Affleck is done as Batman and that's a shame because it's hard to escape the feeling that we missed something special here.
Had things played out differently, we could have very easily seen his Batman on screen for years to come but it wasn't meant to be.
What Comes Next?
This is the million dollar question. As of right now, we simply do now know but the casting process for The Batman should begin soon and that means we'll find out who will be the new Bruce Wayne as well as the actors who will portray some of his most iconic villains (Reeves has said we're getting an entire rogues gallery). In terms of story details, you have to hope those are on the way too.
Warner Bros. isn't shying away from saying that they're happy to make movies which don't set up a larger world, so chances are it won't tie into past releases and could even use a whole new cast of actors to play the likes of Alfred and Commissioner Gordon.