A Flashback At The History Of The Flash
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The Flash (DC / Warner Bros.) |
The Flash, directed by Andy Muschietti, is probably one of my most curiously,
cautiously anticipated films of 2022, as Andy recently rose to the top of my
great director's list, purely based on IT Chapter One! I loved the tone and
pacing of the film, and Andy injecting that into The Flash could be very
interesting. I have high hopes that it's good - I don't want any movie to be
awful. So with my curiosity - I bring you a rundown of past details about The
Flash film leading up to everything we know in its current state.
The History Of The Flash Film
The Past Cast & Crew
The Flash film has been on a long journey and went through many writers and
directors over the years. The start of The Flash film as part of the DCEU
goes back to 2013, with The Hollywood Reporter (THR) hearing rumour that The Flash would get
a solo movie announced at the 2013 Comic-Con [1].
Flashforwding a year, on October 15, 2014, Warner Brothers' Chairman
and CEO, Kevin Tsujihara, finally announces at a Time Warner earnings meeting
that The Flash would be releasing in 2018, played by Ezra Miller [2]. Slash/Film reported on the news claiming to have made an educated guess on
the release date, merging it with a previous - yet unfindable - DC Film slate,
coming up with a March 23, 2018 release date [3].
The following year Phil Lord & Christopher Miller joined the project
in April 2015 to write a treatment and possibly direct, but they moved on to
direct "Solo: A Star Wars Story" - which totally turned out for their
better [4]. On July 12, 2015, DC held a panel at San Diego Comic-Con where they showed off concept
art of Ezra as Barry Allen at a crime scene where he was a CSI holding a
bullet [5]. Later that year, October 5, 2015, THR got the exclusive that Seth Grahame-Smith was making his
directorial debut with The Flash film, developing the screenplay based on
Lord & Miller's treatment [6].
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San Diego Comic-Con 2015 (DC / Warner Bros.) |
On February 9, 2016, the release date moved from March 23, 2018, forward to March 16, 2018
[7].
Two months later,
April 1, 2016, Deborah Snyder, in an interview with Mark Hughes for Forbes,
confirmed Ray Fisher as Cyborg would appear in the film alongside Ezra
Miller's Flash, saying: "as you can imagine, when we get to
the Flash movie, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher - who plays Cyborg - are kind
of, our youngest characters, and they have a really nice comradery with
each other. Ezra is super funny, so the tone of that film will be very
different than the rest of them" [8]. THR later learned that month on April 29, 2016, that Seth Grahame-Smith had stepped down as director, citing
"creative differences." However, the Studio would still be using the
script Grahame-Smith developed; the search for a new director was on the
way [9].
— Rick Famuyiwa (@RickFamuyiwa) September 26, 2016
Deadline reported that Rick Famuyiwa would direct The Flash film
based on Grahame-Smith script in an exclusive on June 2, 2016 [10]. Over a month later, on July 25, 2016, Kiersey Clemons got cast in the role of Iris West by Famuyiwa, with
Zack Snyder featuring
Clemons
in Justice League to set up The Flash film [11]. On August 16, 2016, Variety confirmed Ray Fisher was still involved with The Flash film
[12]. And a month later, Billy Crudup entered negotiations to play Henry
Allen - Bary Allen's father - on September 9, 2016, who also featured a cameo in Justice League [13]. The film entered pre-production around October as it headed towards a start date of March 2017, but by October 31, 2016, Rick Famuyiwa parted ways - with another director citing "creative
differences," yet again [14].
While the film searched for yet another director and Ezra filmed "Fantastic
Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald" - Variety reported on
January 25, 2017, Warner Brothers tapped Joby Harold to do a page-one
rewrite of the film, taking it in a different direction [15]. By mid-May, Harold had handed in a draft, and Warner Brothers were eyeing
Mathew Vaughn and Robert Zemeckis as potential directors, with Zemeckis being
the frontrunner [16]. By this time, Sam Raimi, Marc Webb, and Jordan Peele had turned down the
offer to direct the film [17] [18]. And June 20, 2017, insiders told The Wrap, "Phil Lord & Chris
Miller met with DC Films during the production hiatus of the Star Wars Han
Solo" to direct The Flash film [19].
At San Diego Comic-Con, July 21, 2017, Warner Brothers announced they
would adapt the Flashpoint story tilting the film as "Flash Point" with a temp
logo depicting the classic story name as two separate words [20]. Later in the year, November 16, 2017, Geoff Johns spoke to
Entertainment Weekly about the film: "there [are] elements in it that we're
going to be playing into that we couldn't do anywhere else. The scale of it,
the Batman story of it all." [21]. The story seemed to be coming together, but not so much for the director
side of things. According to Variety, Warner Brothers didn't want to wait for
Zemeckis' schedule to free and asked Ben Affleck if he would direct the film -
Affleck passed, leading John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein entering
negotiations on January 16, 2018 [22].
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Flashpoint Logo (DC / Warner Bros.) |
In an interview with Collider on February 12, 2018, John Francis Daley
& Jonathan Goldstein confirmed they landed the job and how they got it.
"They gave us a list of DC properties and said, 'Is there anything you'd be
interested in?', in no way promising us anything at all. They were interested
in us because of Game Night and Spider-Man. Because of that combination, they
did kind of say, 'We'd like you to consider one of our movies.' So we read a
number of the scripts, and that was one - we're huge fans of the character; I
collected the comic books as a kid. It was an exciting possibility" [23]. Two months later, on April 3, 2018, THR casually mentioned, "Dan
Mazeau worked on the Warner Brothers' Flash project when it was titled
Flashpoint" [24].
The Flash film would have started production in February 2019 [25] - but Ezra Miller was already locked to begin filming in his third
appearance in the Fantastic Beasts franchise [26], moving The Flash to December 30, 2019, with an unfortunate
2021 release [27]. The following month, March 15, 2019, THR broke the news that Ezra
wrote a draft with comic book legend Grant Morrison. Ezra supposedly didn't
like the light-hearted route Warner Brothers wanted to go under John Francis
Daley & Jonathan Goldstein based on Joby Harold's script. Instead, Ezra
was said to want a darker take, while both sides worked on compromises over
the year; Warner Brothers officially hired Ezra and Morrison to write their
draft, expected in late March. Ezra's holding deal to star as The Flash
would expire the following month, May - due to this, time seemed to be
running out [28] [29].
Ezra Miller and Grant Morrison's draft got rejected by the Studio in
May - which I would be interested in seeing! Despite Ezra's contract
ending the same month, Warner Brothers kept him on as the star. However, John
Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein left that July and hired
Christina Hodson to pen the script while negotiations for Andy Muschietti to
direct started the same month. According to THR's sources, Goldstein and Daley
exited voluntarily. Months of tensions over creative differences bogged down
the project, with the duo deciding it was time to move on and find new
opportunities. The tensions surfaced around what kind of take was the best fit
for a Flash movie [30].
The Current Cast, Crew, & Production
On August 29, 2019, Andy Muschietti officially confirmed he was
directing the Flash film in an interview with Fandango [31]. And then on December 11, 2019, Warner Brothers announced The Flash
would release on July 1, 2022 [32]. The following month while talking to That Hashtag Show on
January 8, 2020, Andy said the film would adapt the famous DC story
Flashpoint, but it would be a "different version of Flashpoint than you're
expecting [33]" - confirming Warner Brothers were still interested in adapted Flashpoint,
as they previously announced at Comic-Con 2017 [20]. The film's release date then moved forward - from a
July 1, 2022 release, to June 3, 2022 - on
April 20, 2020, [34].
In June 2020, Andy Muschietti contacted Ray Fisher about reprising his
role as Cyborg in an optimistic call but took issue with Warner Brothers
framing a two-week shoot as a "cameo," offering only a fraction of his
expected pay [35]. Fisher also had a problem with the creative team not adopting his script
notes revolving around his character [36] - unlike Chris Terrio, who sat with Fisher to write all his scenes for
Justice League [37]. In the same month, on June 22, 2020, The Wrap exclusively broke the
story that Michael Keaton had entered early talks for the film to reprise his
role as Batman from the 1989 Batman universe [38].
Two months later, on August 20, 2020, Ben Affleck was also confirmed to
be reprising his role as Bruce Wayne in the film after only receiving the
script a week prior. Talking with Vanity Fair about Affleck's return, Andy
Muschietti said: "His Batman has a dichotomy that is very strong, which is his
masculinity - because of the way he looks, and the imposing figure that he
has, and his jawline - but he's also very vulnerable. [Affleck] knows how to
deliver from the inside out that vulnerability. He just needs a story that
allows him to bring that contrast, that balance. He's a very substantial part
of the emotional impact of the movie. The interaction and relationship between
Barry and Affleck's Wayne will bring an emotional level that we haven't seen
before," the director said. "It's Barry's movie, it's Barry's story, but their
characters are more related than we think. They both lost their mothers to
murder, and that's one of the emotional vessels of the movie."
In the same article that confirmed Affleck's return, Andy officially confirmed
Michael Keaton's return in a "substantial" part for The Flash. He went on to
say, "that's where the Affleck Batman kicks in. He's the baseline. He's part
of that unaltered state before we jump into Barry's adventure [-] there's a
familiarity there. This movie is a bit of a hinge in the sense that it
presents a story that implies a unified universe where all the cinematic
iterations that we've seen before are valid. It's inclusive in the sense that
it is saying all that you've seen exists, and everything that you will see
exists in the same unified multiverse" [39].
"My Flash is not gonna be light or dark in tone - it's gonna have everything. So what we'll see in Flash is a very deep, emotional story - but it's also gonna be very funny (hopefully) and a great epic adventure at the same time, and also terrifying sometimes" - Andy Muschietti.
"I have yet to see [the new suit]. But, I've heard some things about it, and they're extremely exciting. There will be some twists - in some ways, I believe it will be a more traditional, comic-based costume, but in other ways, I think that it might be somewhat unconventional. I've heard that it'll potentially be lighter weight than my last suit, as an example of some of the changes" - Ezra Miller.
"Yes [my Flash can travel to anywhere in the DCEU]. Maybe, even beyond the DCEU - I say 'yes.' In fact, we've already seen it a little, and it's my dream, vision, and sincere belief, that Barry Allen can truly - at the height of his powers - travel anywhere" - Ezra Miller.
"Yes, our movie The Flash is based on Flashpoint, but it's not gonna be exactly like Flashpoint. Our movie is inspired by the original comic book saga. So you're gonna find a lot of surprises and new events - and a lot of thrilling things that are not in the comic book" - Andy Muschietti.
"Well, I want you to go see it, so I'm not gonna tell you a lot. But what I will tell you is that it's a ride. It's gonna be fun and exciting, and there are a lot of DC characters in it. Flash is the superhero of this film because he is the bridge between all of these characters and timelines. And in a way, it restarts everything and doesn't forget anything" - Barbara Muschietti.
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The Flash Concept Art By Vincent Proce (DC / Warner Bros.) |
The day after DC FanDome, August 23, 2020 - Concept Artist, Vincent
Proce, confirmed that Alexandra Byrne is the costume designer for The Flash
[43].
Then October 2, 2020, Billy Crudup entered talks to rejoin The Flash
film. And in the same article, THR gave a synopsis of the film: "Barry will go
back in time to prevent the murder of his mother in an act that proves to have
unintended consequences for his timeline" [44]. And on October 5, 2020, Deadline reported Warner Brothers pushed
The Flash release from June 3, 2022, to November 4, 2022, due to
COVID [45]. Unfortunately, by January 6, 2021, Ray Fisher's role in the film
got written out due to Warner Brothers and Fisher's inability to agree [46].
On January 27, 2021, Screen Daily reported that Andy and Barbara
Muschietti were already in the UK, three months before production [47] - most likely overseeing the constructions of sets, camera set-ups, casting
directors, and much more. The following week, February 5, 2021, James
Gunn mentioned in a Tweet that Henry Braham is the cinematographer of The
Flash [48]. And on February 16, 2021, Barbara took to Instagram to post an
image of the Studio in Leavesden, hinting at the sets inside, confirming Andy
and Barbara were there early [49]. While in Watford, England, Andy cast Sasha Calle as Supergirl via a zoom
call, which he posted to Instagram on February 19, 2021 [50] [51]. And then, much
to everyone's delight, THR confirmed Kiersey Clemons to be reprising her role
as Iris West on March 11, 2021, after rumour she may get recast [I]. In addition, THR announced Maribel Verdú would play Nora Allen - Barry's
mother - the following day, March 12, 2021 [52].
Michael Keaton threw doubt in peoples minds on March 22, 2021, when Keaton suggested he may not reprise his role because of COVID, saying: "It's Covid. I'm more concerned. I keep my eye more on the Covid situation in the UK than anything. That will determine everything, and so that's why I'm living outside the city here on 17 acres, staying away from everybody, because the Covid thing has got me really concerned. So, that's my first thing about all projects. I look at it and go, is this thing going to kill me, literally? And you know, if it doesn't, then we talk" [53]. The same week, Variety confirmed Billy Crudup would not return as Henry Allen on March 24, 2021, citing scheduling conflicts with The Morning Show and The Flash. Instead, Ron Livingston will be taking on the role of Henry Allen, with Ian Loh cast as a young Barry Allen, and undisclosed roles for Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso [54]. The following month, Brother and sister team Barbara and Andy Muschietti formed the production company "Double Dream" on April 16, 2021, to produce many projects, including their current film, The Flash [55].
Michael Keaton threw doubt in peoples minds on March 22, 2021, when Keaton suggested he may not reprise his role because of COVID, saying: "It's Covid. I'm more concerned. I keep my eye more on the Covid situation in the UK than anything. That will determine everything, and so that's why I'm living outside the city here on 17 acres, staying away from everybody, because the Covid thing has got me really concerned. So, that's my first thing about all projects. I look at it and go, is this thing going to kill me, literally? And you know, if it doesn't, then we talk" [53]. The same week, Variety confirmed Billy Crudup would not return as Henry Allen on March 24, 2021, citing scheduling conflicts with The Morning Show and The Flash. Instead, Ron Livingston will be taking on the role of Henry Allen, with Ian Loh cast as a young Barry Allen, and undisclosed roles for Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso [54]. The following month, Brother and sister team Barbara and Andy Muschietti formed the production company "Double Dream" on April 16, 2021, to produce many projects, including their current film, The Flash [55].
On April 19, 2021, THR announced Benjamin Wallfisch would
compose the film [56]. The next day - April 20, 2021 - Andy Muschietti posted an animated
logo reveal, showing off an updated suit concept while teasing some score [57]. However, we are yet to know if that is a temp track or official score from
the film, as Wallfisch was only publically announced as the composer the day
before. The Instagram post also featured a caption that read, "Here we go!!!
THE FLASH Day 1." Presumably, at Warner Brothers Studios, Leavesden [58]. Filming then moved to Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England,
around May 1, 2021, to stand in for Michael Keaton's Wayne Manor [B]. Then in Late May 20 and 21, Andy teased the fans by posting photos
of cast chairs with "Barry" written on one and "Bruce Wayne" on the other [59] [60]. Fan's eagerly
waited to see the new Batsuit, and they didn't have to wait too long, as Andy
took to Instagram on June 4, 2021, to share an up-close look at Michael
Keaton's updated Batsuit - teasing the fans even more [61].
Thanks to Izzy Ailish Emily - Co-Producer at Brighton Spiegeltent - who posted
a selfie with Ezra Miller on June 14, 2020 (two months into production
or 55 days) [62].
Emily's post could confirm that we may get a Barry with longer hair, similar
to Batman V Superman - though Barry's hair was considerably longer and in a
bun [just watch BvS!].
The same day, according to a report by The Illuminerdi, on
June 14, 2021, Grant Gustin will have a cameo in the film [63], which isn't surprising or unlikely considering the push to feature Ezra's
Flash in the TV show [64]. Behind-the-scenes photographer, Canadagraphs, posted an article on
May 22, 2021, featuring photos he snapped of Grant filming the last
episode [65].
Given that Canadagraphs captured the images more than a month ago - filming
would have presumably finished by now, meaning Gustin would be free to film in
the UK. So far, there have been no reports of Gustin at any airports or in the
UK.
Andy Muschietti took to Instagram again on June 15, 2021, to share a
close-up of The Flash's logo [66]. The suit appears to have an organic-like look, differentiating it
substantially from the previous suit he wore in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
The wild change begs the question of "where and when this suit is from?" Andy
Muschietti previously said it's "more organic" and "built by his friend Bruce
Wayne" [42] - but
what Bruce Wayne? The design is a vast departure from the previously
established DCEU aesthetic, which leads me to believe it's a Bruce Wayne from
an alternate universe.
According to Edinburgh Live, filming flashback scenes will begin in June with
Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton - presumably doubling for both of their Gotham
Cities [67]. At the time of publishing, it is currently July 1, with no sign of
production currently in Edinburgh and Ben Affleck reportedly seen in Malibu,
USA, leaving it quite late. Edinburgh Live's sources could be
slightly off with the timeline.
Four days later - June 19, 2021 - Andy posted another close-up - this
time of Sasha Calle's Supergirl suit, featuring a Henry Cavill-inspired House
of El crest [68].
Re-post from Instagram: @/Andy_Muschietti | @TheFlashMovie pic.twitter.com/x0YqlDdvnL
— The Flash (@theflashmovie) June 18, 2021
Next, RSTSnyderVerse and Geckochan1 (Dave Sorkin) took to Twitter to start
translating the Kryptonian writing embedded in Calle's Supergirl crest, with
Geckochan1 writing a post detailing what they could figure out on Daily Planet
DC. Sorkin noted that the Supergirl crest was more in line with the script
form of the Kryptonian language, and gave his best translation: [??] [ɛl
sa͡odɪn nɛdɛv nænjɛlɹo guna zoɹ]-[??], which translates to, [??] El alone never
[nænjɛlɹo] [guna] Zor-[??] [69].
On June 20, 2021, fans saw Sasha Calle dressed as Supergirl in the
streets of London near St. Paul's Churchyard, where Andy was shooting scenes
for what people speculate is a court hearing of Henry Allen. Out of respect
for Andy and Barbara Muschietti and Sasha Calle, I won't directly reference
the unofficial images of the Supergirl suit [70]. On top of many finding Calle, Instagramer Ian (cdbaring2021) also spotted
Michael Keaton and Ezra Miller out in the open before they were on set [71]. Ian has since deleted the images with Miller and Keaton from his
Instagram, though. In the images, Miller sported long hair, yet again -
meaning Barry will have long hair for a portion of the film. Later in the day,
The Girl Sun reported on unofficial behind-the-scenes images of the London
shoot featuring Ezra Miller in a suit, tie, and a big gold ring - potentially
The Flash ring, where he stores his costume. In the same article, images show
Michael Keaton in a blue suit with a new silver haircut and his car, a
Mercedes Maybach 6. The Girl Sun's article also prominently features
high-quality pictures of Sasha Calle's Supergirl, so be careful [72].
Who Inspired This Supergirl?
Many characters could have served as inspirations for Sasha Calle's Supergirl.
Super-women of the comics have had many suits, names, histories, and haircuts
- and I believe Calle's Supergirl inspiration won't be as straightforward as
you may think. I have dug through dozens of comics and storylines to track
down every girl and woman who is super, with a similar-ish costume and haircut
as Sasha's.
During the Pre-Crisis era of classic DC, Supergirl (Kara Zor-El - Earth-One) got
her first new suit drawn by Carmine Infantino, featuring a red shoulder design -
though, without the neck - in the "The Daring New Adventures Of Supergirl" Vol. 2, #13, November 1983 [73] [74]. And then in
1986, artist Jim Mooney presented his rendition of the same suit in
"Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe" Vol. 1, #22 [75].
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| The Daring Adventures Of Supergirl #13 / Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #22 (DC Comics) |
Two reboots later, Supergirl appeared again with a new costume drawn by
Mahmud Asrar in a New 52 reboot solo series (November 2011) with a cape
attaching around her neck [76] [77];
while it's not precisely like Calle's, I thought it was worth mentioning anyway.
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| Supergirl #1 - The New 52 (DC Comics) |
At first, most thought Calle's Supergirl would be Cir-El, based on her haircut
and the fact The Flash can run through time. Cir-El first appeared in "Superman:
The 10¢ Adventure" (March 2003), drawn by Scott McDanie [78] [79]. Though, after seeing Calle's suit, we don't think this Supergirl served as
inspiration anymore.
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| Cir-El - Superman:
The 10¢ Adventure (DC Comics) |
On March 1, 2012, DC Comics revealed Earth-2 Kara Zor-El's [80] new Supergirl's designed by Kevin Maguire [81]. The costume briefly appeared on the cover of "Worlds' Finest" #1 in
July 2012 by artist George Pérez, and in a few flashbacks throughout the
book, before Kara Zor-El donned another new design featuring a red neck (also seen on the cover) [82].
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| Kevin Maguire Design / Worlds' Finest #1 (DC Comics) |
Later, Tomás Giorello would go on to revise the suit in "Earth 2" #0, released in
November 2012 [83].
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| Earth 2 #0, Page By Tomás Giorello (DC Comics) |
Ardian Syaf also brought back the design for "Earth 2:
World's End" #1, released in December 2014 [84].
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| Earth 2: World's End #1, Page By Ardian Syaf (DC Comics) |
After Kara Zor-El finally adopted her classic Power Girl costume, Eduardo
Pansica introduced the house of El crest to it in "Earth 2: World's End" #16 [85], which got revised on the front covers of "Earth 2: Society" #1 by Jorge
Jimenez and Paulo Siqueira in August 2015 [86]. Though, the interiors of issues 1 and 2 by Jorge Jiménez do not feature the
new design until issue 3 in October 2015 [87].
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| Earth 2: World's End #16, Page By Eduardo
Pansica / Earth 2: Society #1 (DC Comics) |
A suit that does feature the red shoulders and a half collar is the Kara Kent Supergirl suit for "Smallville Season 11: Alien" #1 from November 2013, designed by Cat Staggs and drawn by Edgar Salazar [88] [89].
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| Cat Staggs Suit Concept Art / Smallville Season 11: Alien #1 (DC Comics) |
The leading contender most fans think inspired Sahsa Calle's Supergirl is Lara Lane-Kent from "Injustice: Year Three" #7, January 2015, drawn by Mike Miller [90] [91]. Lara Lane-Kent features the cape from crest to shoulders and a collar similar to Calle's suit. While Calle's may have used Lara Lane-Kent as the visual inspiration - Calle's suit says "Zor-El" on it, leaving her first name unknown.
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| Lara Lane-Kent - Injustice: Year Three #7 (DC Comics) |
In more recent comics, Lois Lane-Kent - when she becomes Superwoman in "DC
Universe: Rebirth - Superwoman" #1, October 2016 by writer/artist Phil
Jimenez [92] -
supports a design with the red shoulders, leading from the crest to the cape
[93].
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| Superwoman #1 Cover By Rachel and Terry Dodson (DC Comics) |
As for a narrative point of view, Calle's Supergirl might take aspects from one or two here - but I believe her character will mainly take the place of Superman from Flashpoint in this film.
Cast
Ezra Miller - Barry Allen / The Flash [2] [30].
Kiersey Clemons - Iris West [11] [I].
Michael Keaton - Bruce Wayne / Batman (Batman '89 and Batman Returns) [38] [39].
Ben Affleck - Bruce Wayne / Batman (Batman v Superman, Justice League, and Zack Snyder's Justice League) [39].
Sasha Calle - Supergirl [50][51].
Ron Livingston (replacing Billy Crudup) - Henry Allen (Barry's father) [13] [44] [54].
Maribel Verdú - Nora Allen (Barry's mother) [52].
Ian Loh - young Barry Allen [54].
Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso - undisclosed roles [54].
If you made it this far, thanks for the read! I appreciate you taking the time to read this lengthy article that took me way longer than it should have - but every minute of it was fun. I can't wait to see more about The Flash and what is going on in it. The Flash release November 4, 2022. Let me know what you think here or on Twitter @AfterHoursMedYT!
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