We’ve been waiting a long time for a live-action Flash movie to arrive, with the Scarlet Speedster’s first solo DC Extended Universe outing being announced back in late 2014. Following years of setbacks and obstacles, The Flash finally began filming this past April and wrapped just a few days ago. We’re still a little over a year out from the final product being released, but director Andy Muschietti has shed some light on the movie’s emotional story.
For those who haven’t been following along with The Flash’s development, the movie follows Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen going back in time to try and prevent his mother’s murder, which results in unintended consequences. During his appearance at China’s version of DC FanDome (via Comicbook.com), Andy Muschietti talked about what drew him to working on The Flash, saying:
Mainly the emotional aspects of the story were very compelling to me. Obviously, it's a superhero movie, it's a big spectacle adventure, but what really brought me into it was the emotional power of it. There's an emotional message in the story, it's also a time-traveling story which is always very attractive to me. Time travel has something that is inherently compelling in general, but this one is very special because it's a very intimate conflict. It's about a boy who is looking for his mother, and that's what was so attractive to me, that emotional drive.
Ever since The Flash: Rebirth was published in the late 2000s, Barry Allen’s mother, Nora Allen, being killed, and his father, Henry Allen, being framed for the murder, have been integral components of the character’s backstory and explored in the animated movie Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and The CW’s Flash TV series. It remains to be seen if Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. Professor Zoom/Reverse-Flash, is responsible for Nora’s death in the DCEU or if someone else committed the heinous act. Either way, Andy Muschietti, who has also helmed Mama and the IT movies, was interested in telling a story that, while obviously packed with action and sci-fi weirdness, also has a lot of heart at its core, with Ezra Miller’s Barry being motivated to use his super speed to save his mother and prove his father’s innocence.
There’s still a lot about The Flash that’s shrouded in mystery, but one thing that’s been made clear is that Barry Allen’s time traveling will open up the DC multiverse. In addition to Ben Affleck reprising the DCEU’s Batman, we’ll also reunite with Michael Keaton’s Batman, who hasn’t been seen since 1992’s Batman Returns. The Flash will also include Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, and the special peek at the movie from DC FanDome also confirmed that there will be at least one other Barry Allen present. The Flash’s cast also includes Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen and Ron Livingston taking over the role of Henry Allen from Billy Crudup. Birds of Prey’s Christina Hodson penned the script.
The Flash races into theaters on November 4, 2022. In the meantime, you can check out the eponymous protagonist’s most recent cinematic outing, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, on HBO Max, or look through our guide detailing other upcoming DC Comics movies.
