The Flash (film)

The Flash is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by DC Films, The Disco Factory, and Double Dream, and set for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is intended to be the twelfth 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 Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Kiersey Clemons, Maribel Verdú, and Ron Livingston. In The Flash, Allen travels back in time to prevent his mother's murder, which brings unintentional 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 Affleck and Keaton as different versions of Batman. Filming began in April 2021 at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, in England.
The Flash is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 4, 2022.
== Premise ==
Barry Allen travels back in time to prevent his mother's murder, which brings unintentional consequences to his timeline.
== 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. Ian Loh portrays a young Barry Allen.
* Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman: A wealthy socialite from Gotham City, the benefactor and leader of the Justice League, and owner of Wayne Enterprises who became the vigilante known as Batman following his parents' murder. Director Andy Muschietti said the character has a substantial emotional impact in the film through his relationship with Barry Allen, in part because their mothers were both murdered.
* Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman: An older version of Wayne from an alternative 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) since Keaton did not star in those.
* Sasha Calle as Supergirl: A powerful Kryptonian with similar powers, abilities, and costume to Superman.
* Kiersey Clemons as Iris West: A journalist for the Picture News and love interest of Barry Allen.
* Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen: Barry's mother who was murdered in his youth. Her husband Henry was blamed for her death.
* Ron Livingston as Henry Allen: Barry's father, who was wrongfully convicted for the murder of his wife. Livingston replaces Billy Crudup, who played the character in previous DCEU films.
Additionally, Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso have been cast in undisclosed roles.
== 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. That version of the film did not materialize, and Warner Bros. hired David S. Goyer to write, direct, and produce The Flash in December 2004 after he impressed them with his script for Batman Begins (2005). Goyer approached Ryan Reynolds to portray Barry Allen / The Flash after working with him on the Marvel Comics-based film Blade: Trinity (2004), and intended to have the character Wally West 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. That September, George Miller signed on to direct the film, entitled Justice League: Mortal, with Adam Brody cast as the Flash. The film was envisioned as the start of a new franchise centered on DC Comics characters, 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 in the role of Barry Allen / The Flash; Miller first made cameo appearances as the character 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 television crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (2019–20) which acknowledged a wider DC Multiverse. By April 2015, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were writing a story treatment for the 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, but Clemons was cast in the role 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. 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. The studio had discussions with Ben Affleck to direct, but he passed on the project and the studio chose not to wait for Zemeckis's schedule to be free. Daley and Goldstein were confirmed as directors in March 2018, and the film's title reverted to The Flash the next month. Filming was expected to begin in February 2019, taking place in Atlanta, but Miller's commitments to another Fantastic Beasts film delayed filming again, with a new start date of December 30, 2019, planned in Los Angeles. The film 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 the film. 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 on 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, and a January 2020 pre-production start expected. The involvement of Andy Muschietti and Hodson was confirmed in November 2019, when filming was expected to begin in 2021 after Miller completed his commitments to the third Fantastic Beasts film. A month later, Warner Bros. scheduled The Flash for release on July 1, 2022.
=== Pre-production ===
Andy 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 Ben Affleck agreed to reprise his version of Bruce Wayne / Batman from previous DCEU films. 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 from the DCEU. 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. A month later, Crudup entered early negotiations to rejoin the project under a new deal, having left during the shifts in writers and directors. Clemons' involvement with the film at that point was uncertain. 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 involving DC Films president Walter Hamada, citing his 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 that month to prepare for production, with filming set to begin in April at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, after Miller completed his work on the Fantastic Beasts film. In February, construction for sets at Leavesden Studios had begun, Crudup was confirmed to be returning as Henry Allen, and Sasha Calle was set to portray Supergirl. Calle was chosen from a group of more than 425 actresses, and is the first Latina actress to portray the character. All auditions for the part, 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 but had been restored in the director's cut Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). Also that month, Maribel Verdú was 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, 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. and Hamada released an apology to him.
=== Filming ===
Principal photography began on April 19, 2021, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, in England, with Henry Braham serving as cinematographer. In early May, filming took place at Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, with the location doubling for Wayne Manor as it previously did for Keaton's Batman films. In June, filming will occur in Edinburgh—doubling for Gotham City—and Glasgow, for flashback scenes with Affleck and Keaton.
=== Post-production ===
Paul Machliss serves as the editor of the film, while John "DJ" Desjardin serves as the visual supervisor for the film, after previously doing so for several DCEU films.
== Music ==
Benjamin Wallfisch was set to compose the film's score by April 2021, reuniting with Andy Muschietti after working on his films It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019). Wallfisch also previously wrote the score for DC's Shazam! (2019).
== Release ==
The Flash is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on November 4, 2022. The film was initially scheduled for release on March 23, 2018, when Warner Bros. first announced their slate of DCEU films, before it was moved to March 16, 2018. 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 the November 2022 date after Warner Bros. shifted its release schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.