The Flash: key data
– Launches in theaters worldwide on June 16
– First trailer launched in February
– Stars Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck, and Michael Shannon amongst others
– Plot synopsis revealed
– Will reset the DC’s Cinematic Universe
– Miller’s future as The Flash up within the air
The Flash‘s launch date is dashing into view – and it might probably’t get right here quickly sufficient, in our view. Not solely as a result of it is speculated to be one of the best DC Prolonged Universe (DCEU) film in years, however as a result of it will additionally reset DC’s cinematic universe as we all know it.
Earlier than the DCEU movie arrives in theaters (and it transforms the DCEU into the DC Cinematic Universe (DCU)) – it is not as complicated because it sounds, don’t fret – what will we find out about it? On this information, we have compiled all the things price figuring out about The Flash, together with its launch date, solid, plot synopsis, trailers, and extra.
A phrase of warning earlier than you dash off into the beneath data, although: full spoilers observe for Man of Metal and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Potential spoilers for The Flash are additionally mentioned.
The Flash launch date
The Flash will velocity into theaters on June 16, thus ending its protracted improvement and in-flux launch plans.
Initially, it was slated to reach in March 2018. Nevertheless, owing to its prolonged improvement cycle, the forthcoming DCEU flick has seen its launch date modified on quite a few events. It was later pushed to July 2022, then moved as much as June 2022, shunted once more to November 2022, earlier than lastly touchdown on its present June 2023 launch.
With the ultimate lower locked in and the movie’s PG-13 ranking set, The Flash is nailed on (fortunately) to reach shortly.
The Flash trailer
The Flash‘s first trailer debuted on February 12 – and we expect it seems to be and sounds unbelievable.
Mainly impressed by DC Comics’ Flashpoint collection, it will see Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) journey again in time – regardless of the warnings of Ben Affleck’s Batman – to cease his mother from dying. Because the Butterfly Impact idea suggests, although, small (albeit necessary, in Barry’s thoughts) modifications can have massive impacts, which Barry quickly finds out about.
Briefly: Barry’s touring into the previous utterly alters the DCEU timeline. There aren’t any metahumans (i.e. superheroes) to guard Earth – and Basic Zod (the villain of 2013’s Man of Metal) is again from the useless and able to take over our world.
All hope is not misplaced, although. Because the teaser reveals, Barry enlists the assistance of one other Barry Allen – the superpower-less one who exists on this newly fashioned timeline – in addition to Supergirl (Sasha Calle) and Michael Keaton’s fan-favorite Batman to attempt to cease Zod. Yeah, we did say The Flash seems to be and sounds completely good.
Not content material with displaying us a close to three-minute lengthy trailer, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) additionally launched a 50-second TV spot throughout Tremendous Bowl LVII, which incorporates extra footage:
The Flash solid
Spoilers observe for Man of Metal and Justice League.
This is the solid record for The Flash up to now:
- Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash
- Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl
- Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman
- Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman
- Michael Shannon as Basic Zod
- Kiersey Clemons as Iris West
- Ron Livingston as Henry Allen
- Maribel Verdu as Nora Allen
- Antje Traue as Faora-Ul
- Ian Loh as younger Barry Allen
Miller reprises their function because the world’s quickest man alive on this movie; Miller having debuted as Barry Allen/The Flash in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. He’ll painting two variations of Barry on this movie, too – the one from the SnyderVerse, and one other unpowered one who’s created on this new timeline. Ian Loh will play the kid model of Barry Allen. He may additionally painting one other character within the movie, however we cannot spoil the shock right here because it’ll spoil a serious a part of the plot.
Ben Affleck and Kiersey Clemons additionally return from the SnyderVerse, albeit in cameo roles. Ron Livingston replaces Billy Crudup as Barry’s dad Henry, who was wrongly convicted of murdering Nora Allen, aka Barry’s mother.
Michael Shannon and Antje Traue are again as Basic Zod and Faora-Ul (Zod’s lieutenant) from Man of Metal. Zod died in that Superman flick, which means Shannon did not perceive why he was requested to be on this DCEU film. As soon as it was defined to him, although, he was on board. In the meantime, his second-on-command was despatched to the Phantom Zone in Man of Metal. Because of Barry’s time touring escapades, nonetheless, they’re each alive within the newly fashioned timeline that Barry inadvertently creates.
The Flash, Batman, and Supergirl. Watch their worlds collide solely in theaters June 16. #TheFlashMovie pic.twitter.com/MnexX9uGdqFebruary 13, 2023
Sasha Calle has been solid as Kara Zor-El, a Kryptonian who arrives on Earth as an alternative of Kal-El (i.e. Superman) on this alternate timeline. Judging by the trailer, it appears she’s been imprisoned by Zod or the US navy – seemingly the latter, given the Earth-style jail cell she’s in – which prevents her from halting Zod’s invasion. Nevertheless, it is clear she’ll be damaged out by the 2 Barrys with the help of a sure Darkish Knight (extra on him in a bit).
Maribel Verdu has additionally been solid as Nora. It is unclear how massive of a job she’ll play within the story however, contemplating the unique Barry has traveled again in time to avoid wasting her, she ought to have a reasonably distinguished function.
Michael Keaton dons Batman’s notorious cape and cowl for the primary time since 1992’s Batman Returns, which is without doubt one of the greatest superhero films of all-time (in our view). We’re undecided if Keaton’s billionaire vigilante already exists as Batman on this alternate universe, or if he is invariably pulled into it by Barry’s botched time journey plan. Both means, he’ll be the principle Caped Crusader on this film, with Affleck’s Bruce Wayne/Batman that includes in a smaller function early on within the flick.
Lastly, Saorise-Monica Jackson, Impolite Mancuso, and Luke Brandon Subject have reportedly been solid in undisclosed roles (per Variety (opens in new tab) and Screen Rant (opens in new tab)). It is doable that their roles have been lower in The Flash, although – and the subsequent paragraph may maintain clues as to why.
Potential spoilers observe for The Flash’s solid.
Based on Hollywood Critics Affiliation founder Scott Menzel (opens in new tab), the film’s unique theatrical lower contained cameos from a bunch of main DCEU gamers. That included Jason Momoa’s Aquaman (who’ll reprise his function because the water-dwelling hero in Aquaman and the Misplaced Kingdom in late 2023), Gal Gadot’s Marvel Girl (who made a giant cameo in Shazam! Fury of the Gods), and Henry Cavill’s Superman. It is unlikely this trio will function now, however it could’ve made for a enjoyable, multiverse-spanning finale if they’d (or do).
Elsewhere, business insider Grace Randolph (opens in new tab) has recommended one other former Batman actor may make a shock cameo on the finish of the film. Not solely that, however this particular person could be put in because the DCU’s new Batman, with the Darkish Knight set to co-star in a future DCU film known as The Courageous and the Daring. Take this with an enormous pinch of salt for now, although.
The Flash story
This is The Flash‘s official plot synopsis: “Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry Allen makes use of his superpowers to journey again in time so as to change the occasions of the previous. However when his try to avoid wasting his household inadvertently alters the long run, Barry turns into trapped in a actuality wherein Basic Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there aren’t any superheroes to show to.
“That’s, except Barry can coax a really completely different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s searching for. Finally, to avoid wasting the world that he’s in and return to the long run that he is aware of, Barry’s solely hope is to race for his life. However will making the last word sacrifice be sufficient to reset the universe?”
As we talked about in our trailer part, The Flash is partially impressed by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert’s iconic 2011 comic-book story arc, aka Flashpoint.
Within the comics model of the story, Barry Allen finds himself in an unfamiliar various universe the place his late mom remains to be alive, Aquaman’s kingdom of Atlantis is at warfare with Marvel Girl’s dwelling of Themyscira, and Thomas Wayne turned Batman as an alternative of his murdered son Bruce.
Within the DCEU movie, Barry will use his time-traveling skills in an effort to avoid wasting his mother, Nora – and in so doing, inadvertently make main modifications to the space-time continuum.
As director Andy Muschietti defined at August 2020’s DC Fandome occasion: “His mom was murdered, his father was framed and incarcerated, and all his journey from then was of a person attempting to make issues proper.”
“Batman misplaced his dad and mom, Superman misplaced his planet, Harley Quinn misplaced her egg sandwich…” added screenwriter Christina Hodson. “However Barry, as a result of he’s received this capacity to return and manipulate time, he’s the one one who can truly go and alter his personal private story. [But] time journey isn’t easy. It’s not at all times a simple case of ‘Return and alter one factor, and one other factor modifications sooner or later.'”
Crucially, simply as a number of Marvel films and TV reveals, together with Loki season 1 and Spider-Man: No Method Dwelling, opened the door for the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse to reach, The Flash will break down the boundaries between alternate dimensions within the DCEU.
“The cinematic multiverse goes to be born out of this film,” Hodson revealed. “It’s born out of Barry’s story.”
Try the teaser poster for The Flash and tune in through the massive sport for the official trailer. #TheFlashMovie pic.twitter.com/CEDjDD3fuCFebruary 10, 2023
“This movie is immensely necessary,” added star Ezra Miller. “For those who look across the DC Universe, clearly you’ve gotten all of those characters that exist inside their very own bubbles. We even have now a number of iterations of the identical story. This film, by opening that door that Flashpoint did within the comics, all of those tales and characters can begin to collide.”
“This film is a little bit of a hinge within the sense that it presents a narrative that suggests a unified universe the place all of the cinematic iterations that we’ve seen earlier than are legitimate,” Muschietti additionally informed Vanity Fair (opens in new tab). “It’s inclusive within the sense that it’s saying all that you just’ve seen exists, and all the things that you just will see exists, in the identical unified multiverse.”
All of that also seems to be the case, regardless of a number of the modifications to The Flash‘s story and the forthcoming reset of DC’s cinematic universe. It is unclear how a lot has been altered attributable to Gunn and Safran’s new DCU plan, however we all know The Flash can have a serious impression on rebooting the DCU and serving to to usher in its new batch of flicks and TV reveals. Talking of which…
How will The Flash reset the DCU?
There are two massive questions on everybody’s minds heading into The Flash: Ezra Miller’s future and the way the movie reboots the DCU.
Let’s begin with the latter. James Gunn and Peter Safran had been put in as the brand new co-heads of DC Studios in October 2022, and the pair rapidly set about planning to streamline DC’s flagging cinematic franchise.
Lengthy story brief, Gunn and Safran revealed the primary section of their new-look DCU – titled Chapter One: Gods and Monsters – in January 2023. Talking as a part of that grand reveal, Gunn confirmed that The Flash will “reset your complete DC universe”, thus giving Gunn and Safran a clear slate to work from.
There are caveats to this rebooted universe, although. Gunn and Safran are retaining some actors from the DCEU for his or her newly-formed DCU, which means there’s some confusion over how a lot will truly be reset. It is doable that the likes of Viola Davis, who’s being stored on as Amanda Waller, will merely be enjoying a multiversal variant of their character within the DCU. Hopefully, Gunn and Safran will shed extra gentle on this forward of Chapter One formally kicking off.
Listed below are just some of our plans. Up, up, and away! #DCStudios #DCU @DCComics pic.twitter.com/8XNDNLUEPqJanuary 31, 2023
Crucially, there was no point out of a sequel to The Flash in Gods and Monsters’ present line-up, both – and with good motive.
With out diving too deep into the troubling waters surrounding Miller, the actor has been embroiled in quite a few controversies and authorized points over the past 12 months. A number of allegations of grooming minors, theft, and private threats have been leveled in opposition to them, with outcomes for every cost but to be decided. Miller has apologized for his or her actions, citing psychological well being points because the trigger behind their spate of issues and agreeing to attend remedy periods to get higher.
In August 2022, The Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab) claimed WBD was contemplating axing Miller as Barry Allen in future Flash initiatives. Miller’s apology and enterprise of psychological well being therapy, although, has put a cap on WBD’s plans to take away them from the DCU right now.
Talking at a non-public press occasion in January, Safran declined to verify (or deny) whether or not Miller’s companies could be retained. “Ezra is totally dedicated to their restoration,” Safran mentioned (per Variety (opens in new tab)). “And we’re absolutely supportive of that journey that they’re on proper now. When the time is true, after they really feel like they’re able to have the dialogue, we’ll all determine what one of the best path ahead is. However proper now, they’re utterly targeted on their restoration. And in our conversations with them over the past couple of months, it seems like they’re making monumental progress.”
Gunn and Safran, then, aren’t ruling something out. Nevertheless, if the pair wish to give Barry Allen a recent begin, Miller’s time within the DCEU/DCU could be over already. Whether it is, a minimum of they will have helped give WBD “top-of-the-line superhero films ever”, based on Gunn. Tom Cruise, who’s surprisingly seen The Flash’s last lower, definitely thinks Gunn is true – the Hollywood celebrity saying “he beloved it” (per THR (opens in new tab)).
For extra DCEU and DCU-based protection, learn how to look at the DCEU films so as. Moreover, learn our rating of one of the best Batman films and which DCU films and reveals we’re most excited for.