A sequel to The Flash could already be in the cards, but its prospects are complicated. The movie, which is meant to be a bridge between the old DC Extended Universe, the interconnected franchise of DC superhero movies starting with 2013’s Man of Steel, and the newly rebranded DC Universe, will be the return of Ezra Miller’s speedster Barry Allen. However, over the past year Miller’s offscreen behavior has led to multiple arrests and drawn a heap of negative media attention.
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Per Variety, Warner Bros. has a plan for managing press ahead of the official The Flash release date on June 16. Miller, who is reportedly looking for treatment for “complex mental health issues,” will not be appearing in any press materials promoting the movie, hoping to shift the story away from themself. Their only appearance will be at The Flash premiere, albeit a low profile and only for photo ops. Meanwhile, the campaign has opted to focus on Michael Keaton’s return to the role of Batman. Read a quote from a source close to Miller below:

Ezra wants the movie to open and the conversation to be about the movie and not about Ezra. They are focused on their mental health and don’t want it to be transactional.

Why The Flash is So Important

During the height of Miller’s controversial behavior, it seemed that pressure might mount for Warner Bros. to pull the release off the schedule entirely. This ultimately didn’t come to pass, as Miller took to holding meetings with studio execs to apologize for their actions and fight to save the movie. Even if these efforts hadn’t happened, however, it would have taken considerable pressure for WB to outright cancel The Flash from hitting theaters.

There was already a precedent for a DC outing being canceled after HBO Max’s Batgirl found itself shelved in the midst of test screenings during the restructuring of the streaming service and WB’s overall slate of releases, with WarnerMedia Discovery CEO David Zaslav having to make up for $3 billion in losses from the merger. While The Flash could be seen simply as a financial investment considering its lofty $220 million production budget, the movie will ultimately be the lynchpin into launching the new direction for the DCU.

Other than this December’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Flash is the last outing for the previous superheroes featured in the DCU. Because of the hero’s ability to time travel and access alternate universes, the movie will have avenues for the new branch of the franchise to arise naturally from the ending of the old. As such, any recast characters, including Superman in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy, will have a justification for their existence even while certain heroes and storylines from the previous movies can return if the studio so chooses.

Source: Variety

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