The Flash has been in development for so long that a shocking new stat has emerged that really hammers it home. Starring Ezra Miller in the titular role, Barry Allen will inadvertently damage the multiverse after running back in time to save his mother. However, The Flash has undergone a massive amount of creative changes, writers, directors, delays, and release dates since it was first announced by Warner Bros.
As it stands, The Flash is set to release on June 16th, directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Ezra Miller as two different versions of Barry Allen. Likewise, both versions of Barry will be joined by Sasha Calle as Supergirl, Ben Affleck as the DCEU’s Batman, and Michael Keaton’s original Batman from the Tim Burton-directed films. However, The Flash underwent several different scripts and iterations during its development with several delays and release date changes, so much so that a surprising fact has arisen in relation to The Flash television series on the CW starring Grant Gustin as the Fastest Man Alive.
The Flash Movie Was Announced A Week After The Show Started… & Releases After It’s Ended
The CW’s series premiere of The Flash aired on October 7, 2014. Remarkably, Warner Bros.’ The Flash movie set in the DCEU was announced the same year, just over a week later on October 15th. In that time, The Flash has had nine seasons of television while The Flash was constantly pushed back, undergoing several creative changes and delays. The only true constant was Ezra Miller in the lead role following his first appearance in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Now, The Flash movie will finally come to theaters on June 16th. Ironically, The Flash series will have ended just a few weeks prior on May 24th with the series finale. Although it was originally scheduled for a 2018 release date, The Flash movie has had a total of seven different release date changes.
Why The Flash Movie Has Had So Many Delays
Originally, The Flash’s initial delays had to do with creative issues. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were to first names attached to the DCEU film before Seth Grahame-Smith was set to write and direct, though he left due to creative differences. Rick Famuyiwa was then attached before also leaving due to creatives issues with Warner Bros. Several names were reportedly offered the job but turned down (Robert Zemeckis, Matthew Vaughn, Sam Raimi, Marc Webb, Jordan Peele, and ironically Ben Affleck). Miller himself even helped write a version of the script with comic book legend Grant Morrison.
Although John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein were in negotiations to write and direct, Warner Bros ultimately chose Muschietti to direct with a script from Christina Hodson. However, creative issues with The Flash were only part of the reason for all the delays. Overarching issues with the direction of the DCEU as a whole played their part, as did the global pandemic. Regardless, it’s good that The Flash is finally coming to theaters, even if the development of the 2-hour movie surpassed an entire Flash show with close to 200 episodes.