Had things panned out differently, the DC Extended Universe would be carving out room for both Aquaman and The Flash in 2018. Granted, the former is still on course to light up theaters next December, but creative trouble and internal changeovers have ostensibly beset the Scarlett Speedster’s spinoff movie ever since it was first announced to the world.
Seth Grahame-Smith came and went, as did Dope helmer Rick Famuyiwa, forcing Warner Bros. to quietly pluck The Flash from its original 2018 release slot and place it on the shelf, where it’s remained ever since. That being said, over the past few weeks there have been some promising signs of progress, after Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman: The Golden Circle) Sam Raimi, and VFX whizzkid Robert Zemeckis all became linked with the troubled standalone pic. Still no word on whether Warner Bros. has reached a final decision – mind you, Raimi has reportedly bowed out of the race due to issues with scheduling – but the latest report to tumble off the rumor mill suggests that Vaughn is now the studio’s number one choice, and has even been offered Man of Steel 2.
That intriguing morsel of unfounded information surfaced online just yesterday, after the DCEU Leaks subreddit relayed a report from 4chan that included a smattering of alleged tidbits pertaining to Warner’s more notable superhero tentpoles – Gotham City Sirens included.
And though the mere mention of 4chan is enough to leave us skeptical, let’s entertain this alleged scenario for just a second. First things first: Matthew Vaughn has held talks with Warner Bros. about The Flash, so this isn’t exactly outside the realm of possibility. The filmmaker is, however, firmly committed to his burgeoning Kingsman franchise, and one would assume that Vaughn’s potential dalliance with the DCEU will hinge on whether the stars align and both parties are able to hash out a production timeline. Ditto for Man of Steel 2, but surely Matthew Vaughn will only choose one of the two, right? Providing he chooses any at all, of course.
The Flash is yet to nab a new release date, and is unlikely to do so until Warner Bros. elects a new director. Up next for Ezra Miller’s speedster though is the launch of Justice League in November.