The Flashstarring Ezra Miller is a massive superhero adventure that serves as a finale to the troubledDC Extended Universeseries of films that began withMan of Steel. In keeping with the current trend in comic book movies, it’s a multiversal mash-up in which the Scarlet Speedster teams up with a version of himself from an alternate timeline while encountering an assortment of characters from both within and outside of the DCEU.
Oddly enough, someone could easily populate a robust Flash multiverse consisting only of versions of this movie that were never made.The Flashwas in development hell for ages, with a plethora of totally distinct commissioned scripts and a parade of directors attached before the final Andy Muschietti version was produced. We hopped on our own Cosmic Treadmill to revisit some of these Flash movies that never were.
1980s: The discarded Flash script that launched Jeph Loeb’s comics career
Way back in the 1980s, screenwriter Jeph Loeb — best known at the time forCommandoandTeen Wolf —was approached by Warner Bros. to write a movie based on the DC Comics’ character The Flash. While working on this project, Loeb was contacted by DC publisher Jenette Kahn about taking a swing at writing comics.
Nothing would become of Loeb’sFlashscreenplay, but Loeb would go on to have a decades-long comics career at both DC and Marvel, co-creating such enduring classics asBatman: The Long HalloweenandSpider-Man: Blue(as well as colossal stinkers likeUltimatum). Ironically, Loeb has only ever written a single Flash story, the 2004 one-shotDC Comics Presents: The Flash, which likely has no relationship to his movie script.
2006: David Goyer’s Batman Begins follow-up
Following the success ofBatman Begins, Warner Bros. commissioned its co-writer, David S. Goyer, who had a long history writing both superhero comics and films, to write a Flash script.Goyer’s scriptis loosely inspired by the then-contemporary comics run written by Geoff Johns, with whom Goyer had collaborated on DC’sJSAtitle. At this point in the comics continuity, Barry Allen had been dead for some time, having sacrificed himself to save reality in 1985’sCrisis on Infinite Earthscrossover event. Since then, the canonical Flash had been his nephew and former sidekick, Wally West, who struggled to honor his mentor’s legacy.
In Goyer’s script, however, Barryhasno legacy, and the Flash is considered by most to be an urban legend. Years after Barry’s death, lovable loser Wally acquires his uncle’s powers and becomes the new Flash. Like his comics equivalent at the time, Wally wears a mask, but does not maintain a secret identity, which significantly complicates his life. The villains of the film would have been Hunter Zolomon, a character introduced during Johns’ comics run, and classic Flash antagonist the Turtle.Goyer was eyeing Ryan Reynoldsfor the role of Wally, having recently directed the actor inBlade: Trinity. Goyer planned to directThe Flashas well, if it had been given the greenlight.
2007: Shawn Levy and Chris Brancato’s Wally West story
Once Goyer’s take onThe Flashfizzled out, the studio announced that it would behanding the projecttoNight at the Museumdirector Shawn Levy. In place of Goyer’s script would be a new draft by television writer Chris Brancato, who would later be known as the creator ofNarcos. Brancato’s script issaid to bea “lighter, more studio-friendly take” in which Wally discovers Barry’s secret identity and acquires his powers after his uncle’s death. With the help of his friends, Wally experiments to determine the extent of his powers while solving the mystery of Barry’s murder.
Then-regular comics characters Linda Park and Hunter Zolomon play prominent roles, and the villain is immortal, hyper-evolved caveman Vandal Savage, who is introduced in the film as the governor of Kansas. Popular Flash rogues Heatwave, the Pied Piper, and Rainbow Raider also appear as secondary villains. After only three-and-a-half months in development, this version ofThe Flashwas scrapped as the studio began planning a new shared DC Universe of films built around George Miller’sJustice League: Mortal.
Also 2007: The Justice League: Mortal spinoff
In 2007,Mad Maxdirector George Miller was late in development on the first live-action Justice League film, entitledJustice League: Mortal. Rather than roping in Christian Bale’s Batman or Brandon Routh’s Superman,Justice League: Mortalwould have featured an entirely new cast, one which the studio hoped might appear in a branching cinematic universe like the one Marvel was about to kick off withIron Man.
Adam Brody was cast asMortal’s Flash, and a spinoff solo feature was rushed into development.Wedding Crashers’David Dobkin was signed to direct, and revealed that his film would star Brody as Wally West. His tagline for the film: “You can’t outrun yourself.” TV and theater scribe Craig Wrightwas hiredto write the screenplay, but before any progress could be made,Justice League: Mortalfell apart, torpedoing any spinoff projects.Brody got to try on his costumefor a screen test, and that was the last he ever heard of it.
2008: Dan Mazeau’s post-Dark Knight draft
After 2008’sIron ManandThe Dark Knightkicked the superhero movie craze into a new gear, Warner Bros. began aggressively pursuing new projects based on DC Comics properties. Leading comics writers Johns, Marv Wolfman, and Grant Morrison werehired to consultwith the studio, with Johns becoming a producer on a possible Flash solo feature.
Johns commissioned Dan Mazeau to pen a screenplay, but this project allegedlyran into troublewhen the studio waffled over whether or not the Flash film should prioritize setting up a Justice League film. Eventually, this project fell through.
2010: Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim’s ‘sports movie’
Johns, now chief creative officer of DC Entertainment, recruited Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim — the same writing team that penned the upcomingGreen Lanternfilm — to start work on a Flash movie in 2010. This film adaptation would have focused exclusively on the Barry Allen version of the character, as Barry had been recently resurrected in the comics and resumed his mantle as the Flash. Inan interview with Comic Book Movie, Guggenheim explained that the writing team wanted to emphasize the Flash’s athleticism, and said that an element of their draft was “something like a sports movie.”
Like in future DC films, an effort was made to incorporate existing comics characters whenever possible, rather than create new ones. AfterGreen Lanterndisappointed critics, fans, and general audiences alike, this iteration of the film project was never spoken of again. Berlanti, however, would go on to create and produce the popular television version ofThe Flashthat ran (no pun intended) for nine seasons beginning in 2014.
2015: Seth Grahame-Smith and Lord and Miller’s doomed DCEU version
In 2013, DCannouncedthat a Flash movie was slated for a 2016 release, to be immediately followed byJustice Leaguein 2017. And 2016 would indeed be the year that Ezra Miller made their debut as Barry Allen, but after a variety of delays and shuffling release dates, this would be a mere cameo inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, setting up their appearance inJustice Leaguethe following year and a planned solo film afterwards. During this period,The Flashwould be Hollywood’s most infamous revolving door project, with writers and directors coming and going with incredible speed.
In 2015, hot off the success ofThe LEGO Movie, Phil Lord and Chris Millersigned on to develop the storyfor the DCEU’sFlashmovie, leaving the door open for the pair to also direct the film. Lord and Miller would exit the project months later in favor of writing and directingSolo: A Star Wars Story(from which they would later be fired). To fill the vacuum, Warner Bros.hiredAbraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunterscreenwriter Seth Grahame-Smithto directThe Flashand craft a script based on Lord and Miller’s treatment. Less than a year later,Grahame-Smith was out the door, citing creative differences. Nevertheless,The Flashwas still slated for release on March 16t 2018.
2016: Rick Famuyiwa’s Flash/Cyborg team-up
Rick Famuyiwa, the director ofDopewho has since helmed multiple episodes ofThe Mandalorian,took overThe Flashfrom Grahame-Smith in June 2016. Famuyiwarewrote the scripthe inherited from Grahame-Smith and quickly began casting the film, beginning withKiersey Clemons as love interest Iris WestandBilly Crudup as Barry’s father, Henry. Both of these castings stuck, and the two actors filled small roles inJustice League(though Clemons’ scenes appear only in original director Zack Snyder’s cut).
In August 2016,it was made officialthat Ray Fisher’s Cyborg would be joining the cast, having recently made his cameo debut in that summer’sBatman v Superman, and Deadline reported (in passing) that Gal Gadot would also make an appearance as Wonder Woman. Famuyiwa’s draft appears to be the point at whichThe Flashbecame more of a team-up adventure rather than a solo film, leveraging the growing cast of the DCEU. In October, shortly before production was set to commence,Famuyiwa announcedthat he was leaving the project, citing the now-familiar refrain of “creative differences.”
2017: The failed Flashpoint movie
After the departure of Famuyiwa, Warner Bros. desperately pursued new directors in the hopes of keepingThe Flashon track. Directors who were reported to have been offered the job includeRobert Zemeckis, Matthew Vaughan, Sam Raimi,Jordan Peele, andBen Affleck. During this period, the script was alsototally rewritten by Joby Harold, who had recently pennedKing Arthur: Legend of the Swordfor director Guy Ritchie.
On the other side of this rewrite, the film wasofficially rebranded asFlashpoint, named after a 2011 comics event in which the Flash’s meddling with the timeline accidentally creates a bizarre new reality in which Bruce Wayne’s father, Thomas, is a gun-toting Batman, Superman is an angry and emaciated prisoner of laboratory experiments, Cyborg is resident of the United States, and the world is being torn apart by a war between Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Johns (who also wrote theFlashpointcomics story)confirmed to reportersthat the film would, indeed, be a Batman story, and Gal Gadotwas expected to appearas Wonder Woman. Warner Bros. now planned to releaseFlashpointin 2020, but had yet to hire a director.
2018: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s more lighthearted Flash crossover
John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the writers and directors ofGame Night, now better known forDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,came aboardthe project in January 2018. The film’s title reverted back toThe Flash, but would likely have still been based upon theFlashpointpremise, with a new, less grim script from the duo based on Joby Harold’s draft.
Filming was scheduled to commence the following February, until it wasdelayeddue to Miller’s commitment toFantastic Beasts and the Secret of Dumbledore. Production was kicked down the road yet again, as was its release, which was rescheduled for 2021. At this point, not even Miller’s casting felt ironclad, and this was beforetheir off-screen behaviorbecame a public relations nightmare.
2019: Grant Morrison abd Ezra Miller’s solo Flash script
Meanwhile, Miller was apparently displeased with the lighthearted direction that Daley and Goldstein wanted to takeThe Flash, andsought out legendary comics writer Grant Morrisonin the hopes of convincing Warner Bros. to start fresh with a new script. The studio gave Miller and Morrison two weeks to hammer out a draft, which Morrison hasdescribed asa Flash-focused story akin toBack to the Future, but that didn’t involve the multiverse or a massive cast of other DC characters. Though proud of their work, Morrison says that this simply wasn’t the direction that the studio was interested in taking the film, and that their script was tossed out in favor of the final product, which resembles theFlashpointpremise.
By the time this dust had settled, however, Daley and Goldstein were out the door. They weresucceeded byItdirector Andy MuschettiandBirds of Preyscribe Christina Hodson, who performed yet another rewrite, resulting in the film that was released in 2023. Still, the reverberations of many of these discarded drafts can still be felt in the final product.The Flashretains Fumiyama’s casting of Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, though Billy Crudup wasforced to bow outdue to scheduling conflicts. Harold, who wrote the firstFlashpointscript, and penultimate writer/directors Daley and Goldstein each receive a “Story by” credit, meaning that Hodson’s screenplay is still built from the framework of the 2017 draft.
If nothing else,The Flashserves as a particularly wacky example of just how difficult it can be to get a big-budget movie made, and why so many major studio releases are a stitched-together mess. WillThe Flashwind up feeling like one complete movie, or a weird amorphous blob made up of three or four movies with different authors? Your mileage may vary.
