What is The Flash release date? For one of the fastest superheroes in all of comics, The Flash’s first solo adventure has certainly taken its time getting into cinemas. Warner Bros has been trying to get the hero on-screen since 2004, but stumbled at every hurdle for several reasons.
Sure, The Flash appeared in other superhero movies like The Lego Batman Movie and Justice League, but Barry Allen has yet to lead a film himself. Until now. Ezra Miller is picking up the signature red and gold once again for the new movie, after starring next to other huge DC characters in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
And yes, this is completely separate from the Arrowverse TV series. However, Grant Gustin’s version of the speedster and Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen briefly met during the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover thanks to some Speed Force shenanigans. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get going with what we know about The Flash movie release date.
When is The Flash release date?
The Flash release date is June 23, 2023. The Flash has had so many release dates over the last seventeen years, it’s actually amazing that the film is finally coming to the big screen. Even if we’re just focusing on the DCEU version of the speedster, he was originally meant to get his own film back in 2016. Yeah, it’s safe to say that didn’t happen.
From there, Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen action movie was slated to arrive in March 2018, before being pushed when writer-director Seth Graeme-Green left the project due to the age-old answer: “Creative differences.” Anyway, Warner Bros then aimed for a 2021 release date, due to Ezra Miller’s commitments to another franchise – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Ezra’s ‘other’ franchise: Best fantasy movies
Like most movies set for the last year or so, The Flash was then delayed even further thanks to the pandemic. But with acclaimed horror movie director Andy Muschietti onboard, it finally seemed like Barry Allen’s luck had finally changed.
Although there have been concerns that Ezra Miller’s numerous arrests may cause the movie to face further delays, Warner Bros hasn’t said anything publicly to indicate as such. We can assume everything is ticking on as planned, with no intentions of late-in-the-day reshoots or recasts.
Fast times: Best thriller movies
The movie started production in April 2021, and finished filming in early October 2021 – although plenty of photos and videos from the set made their way online so fans already got a good look at some of the characters in the story.
What will happen in The Flash plot?
The Flash is based on Flashpoint Paradox comic by Geoff Johns, as Barry Allen tries to travel back in time to stop his mother from being murdered when he was a young boy. Obviously, anyone who’s ever watched time travel movies, like Back to the Future or The Butterfly Effect, will know that changing something in the past will have drastic repercussions in the future.
Flash! Best science fiction movies
So, if he saves his Mother, Barry will set the world on a bizarre new path. The film will also see him travel through the multiverse, as both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will reprise their roles as their respective Batmen.
Yes, you read that right. Michael Keaton is stepping back into the cape and cowl for the first time since 1992’s Batman Returns. He’s not the only hero showing up to fight alongside The Flash, though, as The Young and The Restless star Sasha Calle will make her DCEU debut as Supergirl and Michael Shannon returns as Zod.
Super funny: Best comedy movies
Although for the moment, it’s not clear whether she’s playing Supergirl herself, Kara Zor-El, or if she’s a different version of Superman from somewhere in the multiverse. After all, she has a very similar suit to Henry Cavill‘s iconic dark blue costume, albeit with bright red shoulders.
According to TMZ, deceased DC icons Adam West and Christopher Reeve are also rumoured to be making an appearance as their iterations of Batman and Superman, respectively. Reportedly, they will just have a brief cameo and not interact with The Flash — they’ll just be seen in action in their own universes.
Can we see The Flash trailer?
DC FanDome 2021 treated fans to the surprising first trailer for The Flash, which teases a grand adventure for Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen.
The footage starts by showing two different versions of Barry Allen showing up at an abandoned version of Wayne Manor. We also get to see The Flash’s new costume, which is a much sleeker look than his armoured suit in Justice League, and it’s also flowing with energy which is generated by the hero when he runs.
More footage emerged in a 2022 showcase for the DCEU:
From there we see a make-shift version of the costume being made for the other Barry in the trailer, as well as the iconic Flash-ring which the hero keeps his suit in. The teaser’s most dramatic moment sees Keaton’s Batman stand in front of the camera (just to keep audiences excited about his return to the role), before the Barry, Barry and Supergirl stand together in the Bat-Cave.
The other fastest man alive: Lego movies ranked
It’s interesting that the second Barry stands in the spray-painted Flash suit, and if Andy Muschietti’s Instagram is anything to go by, this is actually a modified version of Keaton’s Batsuit. The footage ends on a funny moment where Barry 2 pulls off the cover of what looks like Keaton’s Batmobile, so hopefully, we get to see that in action too.
Beyond that, the next The Flash trailer we’ll get will come in the February 2023 Superbowl. This will show the lightening quick superhero in the best detail yet.
Who will be in The Flash cast?
The Flash cast will be led by Ezra Miller, and it’ll feature the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman. Miller is expected to play multiple versions of The Flash in the film, although many fans are already speculating that the second version is actually Eobard Thawne, A.K.A. the Reverse-Flash.
He’s Barry’s arch-nemesis from the 31st century and is so obsessed with the hero that he even gets plastic surgery to look like him; yikes! Thawne is a key part of the Flashpoint storyline in the comics, so it’d be interesting to bring him into the movie in this way.
Another universe: Best MCU characters
However, the future of The Flash movie and Ezra Miller’s role as the superhero may well be in jeopardy due to recent controversies. Between March and April, the actor was arrested twice in Hawaii, and faces charges like disorderly conduct, harassment, and aggravated assault.
With Rolling Stone reporting that Warner Bros is having “emergency meetings” about Miller’s future with the lucrative superhero franchise, fans are campaigning for Grant Gustin, who plays The Flash in the Arrowverse, to replace Miller in the upcoming flick.
Kill the Bat! Best Batman villains
But CNET noted that Miller’s work on The Flash solo movie is long finished, meaning that if they were to be fired from DC, it would be more likely to affect future projects than The Flash movie. With Warner Bros not making any public statement in the wake of Miller’s arrest, we can assume that the movie is going ahead as planned with Miller as the star.
Joining Miller is Sasha Calle as Supergirl, as well as Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as two different versions of Batman from throughout the multiverse. Kiersey Clemons is also set to finally get some of the spotlight as Barry’s love interest, Iris West. She appears in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, albeit very briefly – so hopefully, she has more to do than just be a damsel in distress this time around.
The other timeline: Marvel movies in order
Footage of The Flash shown at CinemaCon 2022 also revealed that Michael Shannon, who played General Zod in Man of Steel, will also be returning in this movie. How exactly that will work, however, is yet to be seen — especially given that Zod was very dead at the end of Man of Steel.
Meanwhile, Ron Livingston is replacing Billy Crudup as Henry Allen, Barry’s father, who is wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, Nora Allen. He’s spent most of the hero’s life behind bars, which is what motivates the speedster to become a crime scene investigator in the first place. And finally, Maribel Verdú is playing Nora Allen, and there’s no doubt that Barry’s reunion with her could be quite emotional. Someone pass the tissues, please.
Has all this talk of time travel and alternate universes got your scientific senses tingling? Check out our guide to Aquaman 2. For the biggest film fans, we’ve also got a guide on all the new movies coming in 2023, or broaden your horizons with our picks for the best movies of all time.
