The Flash’s road to production has hit multiple obstacles since the DCEU redirected its film slate. Originally the solo film was slated to drop in 2018, but the underperformance of Justice League caused those plans to shift. After a long wait, the DC film finally started shooting in 2021, and production just wrapped in October. Like the fans, The Flash’s stars didn’t deal with the delays well, with Kiersey Clemons recently revealing why filming the superhero movie was “weird.”
The pandemic and multiple changes led to the DCEU film being postponed multiple times. After the delays, Kiersey Clemons had to sit with Iris West for years before hitting the set. While she was appreciative of the film, Clemons was thrown off when production finally started. The Flash star revealed to Discussing Film how she felt working on the much-delayed DC flick:
It didn't feel real. None of it. From the day I started to the day that I wrapped. Because we waited so long that I was like, ‘I'm not really here right now.’ It felt very- it felt weird. I'm not gonna lie. It felt weird because it's been a long time. Yeah. Iris has grown up and is a different version than what I may have had an idea of who she would be. It was just a discovery and it was really exciting.
Waiting for so long allowed the actress to grow with her character. But being on hold for a long time can shift perspective and ideas, as Kiersey Clemons alluded to. Most actors would’ve left the production at some point, but The Flash actress decided to stick with the role. Of course, fans let their feelings be known about the delays. Understanding how viewers felt changed Clemons’ approach to the film and her character. In her words:
Honestly, it's been so long. I initially came on to the movie excited to work with who was the director at the time, but also excited to be in a superhero movie. Now, it's less about the movie. I'm excited for Andy, who's our director now, but now it's more so, I'm excited for the people who are excited, and who have been commenting on my photos ‘Iris West’ for five years. Like, are you joking? This is for them.
Kiersey Clemons heard the fans and poured her all into giving them the best Iris West. But fans and Clemons can be thankful for director Andy Muschietti coming on board and seeing the film to the finish line. Before Muschietti was attached, The Flash was in development hell for years with names like Seth Grahame-Smith and duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller attached at certain points. They ended up leaving the superhero flick over creative differences with Warner Bros. Ezra Miller’s busy Hollywood career didn’t help matters either. But now The Flash is in the can and will arrive in theaters on November 4, 2022.
