When Warner Bros announced its initial slate of DC Extended Universe movies post-Man of Steel, The Flash was in that lineup. Since then, Ezra Miller's version of Barry Allen cameoed in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, and made his full debut in Justice League, but the Scarlet Speedster's own movie has hit a lot of setbacks over the years. However, perhaps things are finally falling back into place for The Flash, as it's rumored that the project could begin filming next February and be finished three months later.
This latest production update comes from Omega Underground, which noted that following the recent reveal that The Flash is eyeing a February 5, 2019 start date, Warner Bros is hoping to wrap things up by the following May. It's worth noting that earlier this year, it was reported that Birds of Prey is expected to start filming in January, so assuming the production details surrounding both of these DCEU movies are true, that means The Flash's principal photography will overlap with Birds of Prey's. For now it's worth taking all of this with a grain of salt, but if you've been waiting for The Flash finally get off the ground, it seems it's closer than ever to happening.
The Flash has been through a lot of behind-the-scenes turmoil since it was announced, particularly with directors. In 2015, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter's Seth Grahame-Smith was hired to write and direct The Flash, but in April of 2016, he dropped out due to creative differences. Two months later, Dope's Rick Famuyiwa was tapped to replace Smith, but by October 2016, he'd also dropped out due to creative differences. The project then found itself in a holding pattern for over a year, requiring Warner Bros to scrap its March 2018 release. But good news finally arrived this past March when it was confirmed that Game Night duo John Francis-Daley and Jonathan Goldstein would helm the superhero blockbuster. It's a step in the right direction, but there's a lot more work to be done until we can be sure The Flash will indeed head to the silver screen.
At the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that The Flash movie was being called Flashpoint, making it an adaptation of the 2011 storyline of the same name that saw Barry Allen waking up in a radically altered version of the main DC Comics timeline. However, in recent months it's been said (but not officially confirmed) that the movie is no longer called Flashpoint, indicating that the project is being turned back into a more straightforward, standalone Flash movie rather than a universe-shattering crossover event. John Francis-Daley and Jonathan Goldstein will reportedly take The Flash in a more lighthearted direction, with Back to the Future supposedly being used as a guide. Beyond that, no plot details have been revealed yet, but along with Ezra Miller putting the red costume back on, Kiersey Clemons and Billy Cruddup are expected to appear as Iris West and Henry Allen, respectively.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on how The Flash is developing, but in the meantime, feel free to look through our DC movies guide to learn what else is in the DCEU pipeline.
