Warner Bros. Discovery Confirms That The Flash Movie Is Still Happening
Ezra Miller's long-gestating "The Flash" movie has been the subject of many setbacks and bizarre delays. First, the film saw multiple directors leaving the project before Andy Muschietti took over the job (per The Hollywood Reporter). To make matters worse, the movie was again held back by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused pre-production to be delayed (via Screen Rant). Still, everything eventually got on track, and "The Flash" is scheduled for a 2023 release date, according to Deadline.
However, matters have only gotten more turbulent over the last few months. Miller has been embroiled in several controversies, as outlined by Business Insider, and the recent Warner Bros. and Discovery merger has led to some uncertainty in regard to DC's future. The highest profile example of this is the company's shocking decision to permanently shelve the nearly finished "Batgirl" movie. This has naturally led to questions over the future of "The Flash" movie as well. However, it seems as if Warner Bros. Discovery has no intention of canceling "The Flash" anytime soon.
The Flash movie's fate was confirmed during an earnings call
During a recent Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call, the company laid out its long-term plans for the world to see. While perhaps one of the biggest pieces of news is the eventual merging of HBO Max and Discovery+, Warner Bros. Discovery also confirmed that "The Flash" movie was very much alive and well, despite the ongoing controversies surrounding star Ezra Miller. President and CEO David Zaslav confirmed this by stating that the studio has many upcoming DC films, including "Black Adam," the new "Shazam," and yes, "The Flash."
Many fans are likely wondering how the company can justify canceling "Batgirl" and not "The Flash," but there are likely a few big reasons for this. Perhaps the biggest is the latter's purported massive $200 million budget. It's an easier move to shelve "Batgirl," which had a relatively smaller $90 million budget (per NPR). It's also likely that "The Flash" movie plays more into the company's future plans for the DC Extended Universe as a whole, given the time travel elements present in the film. Obviously, viewers won't know for sure until the movie releases if this is the case, but this is likely to be a very controversial decision by Warner Bros. Discovery regardless.