scheduling commitments and creative differences kept pushing back the film's release date.
The Flash film, which tells the story of forensic scientist-turned-speedy superhero Barry Allen, has been in talks since the character's appearance in Zack Snyder's Justice League back in 2017. The Flash movie will be directed by Andy Muschietti, who recently rose to prominence after directing the box office hit It: Chapter Two. Critical acclaim is the hope for this DC installment after other films in the DC universe, including Batman vs. Superman and Justice League, received notable negative criticism. Warner Bros, however, is working overtime to impress audiences with some impressive casting for The Flash.
According to the Muschietti, speaking to Ben Affleck return to his role as Batman, after the infamous recasting of Robert Pattinson in the same role for Matt Reeves' The Batman. Michael Keaton, who starred in Batman and Batman Returns, will also star in this Flash adaptation as a Batman from a different universe. This addition of another alternate Batman ties into the emphasis The Flash has on connecting multiple realities into a single multiverse. Muschietti's full quote is below:
“This movie is a bit of a hinge in the sense that it presents a story that implies a unified universe where all the cinematic iterations that we’ve seen before are valid. It’s inclusive in the sense that it is saying all that you’ve seen exists, and everything that you will see exists, in the same unified multiverse.”
What's most interesting here is Muschietti's use of the word "hinge" to describe The Flash's place in the large DCEU. Much like The CW's Flash TV series, it seems Miller's Barry Allen will be revealed as the lynchpin of the multiverse. In other words, it's on his personal journey that the fate and future of the entire DCEU multiverse hinges. This new information helps make more sense of the addition of both Affleck and Michael Keaton as Tim Burton's Batman, while also answering any questions about where this leaves Reeves The Batman.
As it turns out, all of the various movie Batmen are connected via a DCEU Cinematic Multiverse, at least that's what Muschietti's comment implies. Fans of The CW's Arrowverse will already be familiar with this theory as it was the basis for the multi-series Crisis On Infinite Earths. In fact, an episode of the Crisis crossover included a special appearance by Ezra Miller's Flash. It's probably a safe bet the filmmakers have already planned to pay off that brief crossover when The Flash races into movie theaters in 2022.
Sources: Vanity Fair
