The Flash had the potential to be a great comic book movie. After Zack Snyder's divisive approach to the Scarlet Speedster, filmmaker Andy Muschietti set out to put the hero back on track by teaming Barry Allen up with Michael Keaton's iconic Batman.
Unfortunately, the movie didn't work. Whether it was Ezra Miller's personal issues overshadowing the character, their zany performance/s, or a lot of bad CGI, The Flash failed to strike a chord with audiences. Even after decent, albeit mixed, reviews, it flopped with $271 million worldwide.
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn had plenty of praise for the 2023 movie and has tapped Muschietti to helm the long-delayed The Brave and the Bold (a movie the director reportedly remains attached to take charge of).
Talking to The Playlist about It: Welcome to Derry, Muschietti reflected on making The Flash, the negative response to the movie, and the Ezra Miller of it all.
"No, we just moved on and understood that sometimes there’s a headwind and a project that you dedicated a lot of work to," he replied when asked if the fallout shook his confidence at all. "And we’re very proud of it. I think it’s a good movie."
"A lot of people did not see it. But you know how things are these days, like people don’t see things, but they like to talk s*** about it, and they like to jump on bandwagons," Muschietti continued. "They don’t really know. People are angry for reasons that are unrelated to these things. Of course, we had a publicity crisis with Ezra that is undeniable. And I’m not questioning that."
"But yeah, we love the movie. And actually, we really recommend it. This may seem immaterial now, but we also had so much support from the studio, really, at a point where they could have been like, you know, backing out because of all the issues we were having with publicity. And they went all in, and we all went all in."
"And again, we love the movie. We, you know, we gave it our blood, sweat, and tears all the way to the end," he concluded. "And I watched it, like a week ago, and loved it again."
While The Flash's many issues overshadowed the movie, there was a lot that did work. Sasha Calle's Supergirl, Muschietti's approach to Batman, and the portrayal of the Fastest Man Alive's powers were all high points that, ultimately, fell by the wayside after edited clips of the hero putting a baby into a microwave oven went viral.
DC Studios has seemingly decided to shelve The Flash, and it's unclear when or where we'll see a new take on Barry Allen (or perhaps even Wally West). The DCU doesn't currently have Batman, while Milly Alcock has replaced Calle as the Maiden of Might.
What do you think about Muschietti's take on The Flash? Head to the comments section below to tell us your thoughts.