A discussion has commenced among DC movie fans about just what will happen after The Flash gets released and what steps Warner Bros. may take leading up to the film’s finalization, given the many controversies surrounding its star, Ezra Miller.
Miller has been arrested multiple times in Hawaii, faced a restraining order from a couple that was later dropped, and now faces more allegations of abusive behavior, with parents asking for a protective order against the actor.
The Flash, which is a continuation of Miller’s portrayal of Barry Allen from Zack Snyder’s Justice League, is currently slated for release a year from now. But given all the bad press and legal troubles, it was enough for Reddit user u/Killjoy3879 to question on the r/DC_Cinematic subreddit whether WB was hatching some kind of plan to hedge its bets, from a business point of view.
“From a business standpoint, what do you think are the most likely routes WB will take for The Flash movie?” the user asked. “I don’t know much about movies or businesses with big decisions like this, but it’s obvious that they’ve spent millions on Ezra and this movie.” They continued,
“Since it’s nearly done would they fire Ezra and recast him to do reshoots, would they post pone [sic] the movie again and do some editing for his scenes to repurpose it, would they just release the movie despite the chaos knowing they won’t make as much money as they would, had the situation not happen [?]”
One commenter’s response seemed like a rather likely scenario: “I would release it and recast the next movie.”
Another fan speculated that since the film will reportedly center around multiversal shenanigans, à la Spider-Man: No Way Home, the filmmakers could easily write the recasting of the actor into the very plot of the movie.
Might this be an excuse to bring Wally West into the mix as a character in future movies, as the new Flash?
Another user laid out a couple of possible scenarios. One option would be to do some reshoots, “dampen” Miller’s role in the movie as the Flash, bolster the roles of side characters — like Batman, Supergirl, and Batgirl — and “Rebrand the entire thing” as Justice League Flashpoint. However, if that doesn’t work, WB could always just release the film as is and recast with the next film.
Another commentator questioned whether expensive reshoots were even feasible for The Flash, given the new WB boss’ reported penchant for budget cuts.
“Reshooting The Flash literally defeats the purpose and adds more debt.”
It seems entirely possible that WB will opt to simply “just retire the character” completely after The Flash, one user said.
Could The Flash have an HBO Max-only release in its future? Only time will tell.
The Flash comes to theaters, barring any further delays, on June 23, 2023.