The Flash
The Flash Movie Was A Box Office Disaster
The production cost for The Flash was a staggering $200 million, with an additional $65 million pumped into marketing. This would necessitate a break-even point of around $550 million in earnings.
Yet, it opened with a disappointing $55 million, a shadow of what blockbusters of its caliber often rake in. By its fifth weekend, this speedster was rapidly fading, headed towards being labeled one of the biggest flops in Warner Bros.’ century-long history.
Further cementing its disappointing run, the film experienced a sharp decline of over 70% in its second weekend. Comparatively, even past films with lackluster performances, like Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad, managed to cover their production and marketing costs.
Ezra Miller Had Numerous Off-Screen Issues
Behind the film’s tumultuous journey is a series of unfortunate events and decisions. A significant shadow was cast over its release due to controversies surrounding the lead actor, Ezra Miller. Allegations of harassment, assault, and a widely circulated video of Miller appeared to impact the film’s reception, making it a topic of contention rather than anticipation.
Additionally, The Flash had been ensnared in what the industry terms “development hell” for many years. Initially conceptualized during the Zack Snyder era of the DCU in 2013, the film underwent several changes in hands, with multiple writers and directors contributing to its evolution.
This often viewed as a curse in Hollywood, did the movie no favors. The project’s continuity faced further disruption when Zack Snyder, originally at the helm of the DCU’s vision, departed from 2017’s Justice League due to personal reasons, leading to tonal inconsistencies and production challenges.
Adding to the complexity, The Flash ambitiously aimed to be both a solo showcase for Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen and a multiverse-spanning spectacle bringing in a roster of heroes from different eras. This in itself might have been a compelling narrative, had the DC Universe not been in a state of flux.
The Flash was not just a narrative of speed and time-bending scenarios; it also brought together a constellation of actors and actresses from various eras of the DC Universe, assembling alongside Ezra Miller.
Michael Keaton Returned As Batman
Michael Keaton returned to his iconic role as Batman, a nod to Tim Burton’s 1989 rendition of the Caped Crusader. Keaton’s involvement was seen as a potential draw for long-term fans of the franchise and a bridge across multiverse storylines.
Sasha Calle also made her debut as Supergirl, bringing a fresh face and energy to the ensemble and establishing her character for potential future outings in the DC Universe.
James Gunn, known for his work with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, was ushered in as the new creative head of DC. Under his leadership, the direction for DC was to start afresh, implying that The Flash would be among the last remnants of the old DC Universe or “Snyderverse.”
However, every cloud has a silver lining. As The Flash found its way to the streaming platform Max, its narrative took a turn. Climbing its way to the top 10 and eventually securing the #1 spot, the film seemed to have found its audience in the digital realm. It’s uncertain whether this resurgence in popularity was due to genuine appreciation, curiosity, or a mix of both.
Further, in a bid to capitalize on the NFT trend, Warner Bros. Discovery announced The Flash as a “blockchain movie,” offering fans a new form of ownership and exclusive content. This move, however, has garnered mixed reactions, reflecting the volatile nature of the NFT market and its alignment with film distribution.
In the end, while The Flash might not have been the box office sensation Warner Bros. had hoped for, its story is a testament to the unpredictability of the film industry.
With change, controversy, and digital landscapes redefining the rules, The Flash might just be the precursor to a new era of cinematic experiences.
After years in development, going through multiple directors, stars, and scripts, The Flash finally made it to the big screen. Instead of a solo origin film, though, it was a time travel/multiverse outing that brought together DC heroes of the past (Michael Keaton’s Batman) and those who never were (Sasha Calle’s Supergirl).
Up until the day of release, the studio and fans thought that finally, DC would have another hit movie, but following the disappointing opening weekend, the entire discourse around the film changed.
With a historic second-week drop in ticket sales, all of a sudden, the odds of James Gunn going forward with The Flash 2 dropped to zero.
The Flash 2 Script That Will Never See the Light Of Day
In 2022, before Black Adam was released and before James Gunn became the new co-CEO of the DCU, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that a script for The Flash 2 was already done.
The script was written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, the screenwriter of Aquaman and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Reportedly, a sequel was a possibility based on the box-office success of The Flash, and after the film became one of the biggest bombs in history, any chance of The Flash 2 was removed from the multiverse along with the Flashpoint timeline.
If another Flash solo film ever materializes, it won’t star Ezra Miller and will have no connection to the Zack Snyder Justice League.
Ezra Miller And The Flash 2
Before The Flash hit theaters, director Andy Muschietti insisted that Ezra Miller would reprise their role as Barry Allen for the sequel. Due to the controversy surrounding Miller, Warner Bros Discovery didn’t have the star out on the publicity tour, relying instead on Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, and Michael Sheen.
Despite everyone who worked with Ezra Miller praising their work ethic and professionalism on set, the reality is that the controversy, justifiable or not, had a part in the failure of the film.
How large will remain impossible to truly quantify, but it was a part, and with all of the other Justice League stars being replaced under James Gunn, it stands to reason that Miller will not be back.
Possible Plots For The Flash 2
Thanks to The CW’s The Flash running for so long, the general public is already aware of The Flash’s villains, from the Rogues to Zoom, but if The Flash 2 ever does happen, it should focus on Reverse Flash.
The arch-enemy to The Flash, Eobard Thawne is from the far future, and he’s either Barry Allen’s biggest fan or the source for everything wrong in the hero’s life, depends on who (and when) you ask.
There are plenty of Thawne stories to use for inspiration, but for a speedster villain less tied to time travel, Godspeed is the perfect villain. A former police officer who worked with Barry Allen, August Heart gets superpowers and immediately uses them to murder criminals.
Going with Godspeed as a villain would let The Flash 2 be more grounded, while focusing on what makes Barry a real hero.
What Went Wrong With The Flash?
When Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull included a scene involving using a refrigerator to survive an atomic bomb, the public ruthlessly mocked the film, and poor word of mouth started to cut off the film’s legs at the box office.
The same thing happened 15 years later, with The Flash and the infamous “baby in a microwave” scene. Within hours of the premiere, social media lit up with people mocking the sequence.
Poor VFX effects have dogged The Flash, especially a scene in which Barry runs through time, and it has been getting called out as having worse graphics than a PlayStation 2 game.
Looking beyond James Gunn rebooting the DCU and the controversy around Miller, it’s ultimately the quality of the special effects that appears to have doomed any prospects for The Flash 2.
When Will The Flash Appear In The DCU?
Assuming that The Flash 2 will never happen, that doesn’t mean that Barry Allen will never be part of James Gunn’s DCU.
Whether he’s being played by Ezra Miller or someone else, the Scarlet Speedster doesn’t have a solo movie in the first phase of the DCU, referred to as “Gods and Monsters” by Gunn.
With the lack of a Justice League-style film in the lineup as presented by Gunn, it stands to reason that The Flash won’t be back until 2028, at the earliest.
Even then, there are multiple Flashes that could be used, and given how poorly the film went over, it might be time for Warner Bros Discovery to utilize Wally West as the main Flash.
Is Sasha Calle Done As Supergirl?
One of the best parts of The Flash was Sasha Calle’s debut as Supergirl, but because of the timeline shenanigans of the plot, she won’t be part of the DCU moving forward.
The actress has said that she wants to keep playing Supergirl, and there is a film in DCU’s first phase, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, based on the graphic novel of the same name.
Yet there’s been no official word if Calle will continue forward, other than she won’t be part of The Flash 2 if it does happen (beyond more damage to the timeline).
Is Michael Keaton Returning As Batman?
As with Sasha Calle, The Flash 2, if it were to happen, would do so without Michael Keaton as Batman. After 30 years, and four different Batman, the original big-screen Caped Crusader finally put on the spandex one last time.
He did such a great job, that The Flash was considered by some fans to be a Batman movie.
By all acounts, Keaton enjoyed his time back on screen as Batman, even asking for an on-set photo in the Batcave for his grandson. The canceled Batgirl film was also going to include Keaton, coming back as Bruce Wayne to mentor Barbara Gordon in a role similer to that from the animated Batman Beyond series.
But now that he was back on the big screen, and with a whole new generation of fans, there’s nothing left for Michael Keaton in the DCU.
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