Having been in development since October of 2014, The Flash will have naturally undergone a huge amount of changes during its long and torturous journey towards the big screen, but it’s got a unique place in history after the latest synopsis for the Scarlet Speedster’s solo debut basically came right out and confirmed it’s ground zero for the new DCU.
While most fans have been expecting the movie to act as the official ending point of the initial decade-long iteration of the mythology, it’s worth remembering that principal photography was completed long before James Gunn and Peter Safran were appointed as co-CEOs of DC Studios, meaning The Flash knew that it marked the end of an era prior to the most recent boardroom reshuffle.
Warner Bros. is eminently confident in the comic book adaptation, though, with the first public screening taking place next week at CinemaCon. Ahead of the event, a brand new logline has been revealed that comes right out and states in no uncertain terms that the entire point of the narrative is hitting the red button on the multi-billion dollar saga.
Curiously, Shazam! Fury of the Gods ended up as one of the biggest bombs in the genre’s history after it was branded as unnecessary viewing given the sweeping changes to have unfolded at DC, so we’ll be very interested to see how high The Flash can fly at the box office given that it’s in a very similar boat.
If it lives up to its reputation as a top-tier crowd-pleaser, then the new age of the DCU will be off to a phenomenal start.