Michael Keaton’s Batman is still iconic, even though there have been more iterations of the character since then. The actor was set to reprise his role as the caped crusader in the Batgirl film. The film has since been deleted from existence, with Warner Bros. Discovery pulling the plugin in 2022. But the actor seems unfazed even though the film was mostly completed.
There were internet campaigns to get the film released, but nothing moved the studio’s resolve. It was permanently banished to the dumps, at least for now.
Leslie Grace was all set to star as Batgirl. But she found herself grounded before she could soar alongside Keaton’s Dark Knight. The cast also included J.K. Simmons and Brendan Fraser. The latter was slated to play the villain Firefly.
In a recent interview with GQ, Keaton talked about his feelings regarding the cancellation of the film. While one might think he would be sad about it, he seemed quite unbothered.
The actor said, “No, I didn’t care one way or another. Big, fun, nice check.” His nonchalant attitude suggests that the Batgirl project’s fate didn’t keep him up at night. However, he did express empathy for the film’s directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.
Keaton said, “I like those boys. They’re nice guys. I pull for them. I want them to succeed, and I think they felt very badly, and that made me feel bad. Me? I’m good.”
Keaton’s return to the Batman universe wasn’t limited to Batgirl’s ill-fated venture. He also reprised his role as the Caped Crusader in The Flash, which hit theaters in June 2023. That film premiered to mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike and failed to impress at the box office as well. But Keaton’s performance was praised a lot.
As for Arbi and Fallah, the directors behind Batgirl, their disappointment was immense when the project got shelved. Yet they still praised the cast and crew’s dedication, calling it a privilege to work with fantastic actors like Simmons, Keaton, and Fraser.
Brendan Fraser, 55, also once talked about his feelings about the abrupt cancelation of the Batgirl film.
In an interview with Variety, the actor profusely praised Leslie Grace’s dynamic performance in Batgirl. He also talked about the practical effects and storytelling, which he was excited about. But it just wasn’t to be.
While Batgirl’s wings may be clipped, for now, the DCEU continues to evolve, starting with Superman: Legacy.
Evil’s Michael Emerson on Working Opposite a Giant, Hairy, Five-Eyed Demon
According to Deadline, Skarsgård will also executive produce the show along with his fellow It film franchise creative team at Warner Bros. The show was inspired by the Stephen King novel It and was developed by the franchise’s director Andy Muschietti with producer Barbara Muschietti. They’re also joined by Chapter Two co-producer Jason Fuchs with the films’ other producers, Roy Lee and Dan Lin. Now with Skarsgård in the mix, we’re excited for more horror in the prequel series. Muschietti is set to direct four episodes out of the nine in the series order.
Recently, Bill Skarsgård starred in Boy Kills World and will be featured as Eric Draven in the upcoming The Crow reboot, while Andy Muschietti remained in the Warner Bros. family with The Flash. Needless to say, we are excited to see them team up again with more world-building and creepy killer clownery in the Stephen King universe. Their take on It has become the quintessential one garnering $1.17 billion worldwide. And in an age with ever-expanding mythologies, characters like Pennywise can keep floating on in horror infamy as long as he wants.
George Clooney shocked the DC Universe this summer when he returned to the role of Bruce Wayne, after 25 years, for a cameo appearance inThe Flash — and is now confirming that was a one-and-done reprisal.
Clooney infamously played Bruce Wayne/Batman in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin, the 1997 movie that was considered one of the worst superhero films of all time. The actor has repeatedly spoken out against the film, telling Howard Stern in 2020, “Akiva Goldsman — who’s won the Oscar for writing since then — he wrote the screenplay. And it’s a terrible screenplay, he’ll tell you. I’m terrible in it, I’ll tell you.”
But in June, Clooney made a surprise return to the role in the final moments of The Flash, as Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen is on the phone with Bruce Wayne after finally returning to his own Earth and timeline. Wayne pulls up to the courthouse in his car and as he gets out, he is revealed to be played by Clooney, not the Ben Affleck version of Batman that Barry expected, who appears elsewhere in the film.
Asked by The Hollywood Reporter at the Los Angeles premiere of his new film The Boys in the Boat on Monday if that appearance was a one-time thing or opened the door to more Batman work, Clooney laughed and confirmed, “Oh yeah. Somehow there were not a lot of requests for me to reprise my role as Batman, I don’t know why.”
THR reported at the time that Warner Bros. and the team behind The Flash kept Clooney’s appearance in the film secret for close to six months, as DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran reached out to Clooney’s agent at CAA, Bryan Lourd, and showed him a cut of the mostly finished film; Lourd then showed it to the star, who liked it and agreed to take part in a cameo. Gunn has also previously tweeted that Clooney is “absolutely not” the DCU’s new Batman as he and Safran revamp the comic book universe.
Following the superhero role, Clooney has shifted to director mode, helming The Boys in the Boat, which tells the inspirational true story of the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. The film hits theaters on Dec. 25.
It’s long been assumed by the public at large that DC’s main goal with their movies was to match the success and format of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. David S. Goyer, writer of Man of Steel, says it was always a crazy goal.
Not only are they completely different animals, but DC also got a late start on the whole interconnected-massive-universe thing. That was thoroughly felt upon the release of Justice League, where it felt like most of the main cast hadn’t even gotten origin story films yet. With many viewers mostly unfamiliar with the Flash or Cyborg, on top of the major production issues and the director changes, the movie was destined to fall apart.
David S. Goyer recently appeared on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, where he sat down to dive into his own career, and explained why he thought DC’s attempts to mimic Marvel were misguided…
I know the pressure we were getting from Warner Bros., which was, ‘We need our MCU! We need our MCU!’ And I was like let’s not run before we walk … There was this revolving door of executives at Warner Bros. and DC. Every 18 months someone new would come in. We were just getting whiplash. Every new person was like, ‘We’re going to go bigger!’
“It was crazy how much architecture was being built on air. This is not how you build a house,” Goyer added.
Apparently, during this time, executives at DC were attempting to build a roadmap as to how they were going to be able to achieve an MCU of their own. But the MCU built gradually, while DC tried to go straight from Man of Steel to crossover movies like Batman v Superman and Justice League. And now the DC Extended Universe is winding down, with the company about to try the whole thing again from square one.
You can watch Goyer’s appearance on Happy Sad Confused below:
Every DCEU Movie Ranked From Worst to Best
From Man of Steel to The Flash, we ranked every movie in the DC Extended Universe.
Tim Burton was not a fan of Nicolas Cage’s Superman cameo in “The Flash”.
The DC and Warner Bros. film — released back in June — featured a variety of cameo appearances from plenty of famous faces; however, Cage’s unexpected cameo stood out the most compared to those of Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton and George Clooney, who all appeared separately as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the film, reprising their former takes on the superhero.
Burton — who directed Keaton as Batman in 1989’s “Batman” and its 1992 sequel “Batman Returns” — was previously set to direct Cage, 59, as Superman in “Superman Lives” in the late ’90s, following the success of his “Batman” franchise at Warner Bros. However, the project was axed after pre-production went on for an extensive two-year period.
In a recent interview, the filmmaker and animator reacted to Cage’s Superman cameo and Keaton’s Batman return in “The Flash”, to which he harshly compared them to the current trend of using AI technology to reimagine films and characters.
While in conversation with the British Film Institute, Burton, 65, emphasized that he definitely wasn’t impressed with the project decision to “misappropriate” both of his interpretations of the two characters, particularly Cage’s Superman, which he argued was almost a total CGI creation that felt completely artificial.
“But also it goes into another AI thing, and this is why I think I’m over it with the studio. They can take what you did, Batman or whatever, and culturally misappropriate it, or whatever you want to call it,” he explained. “Even though you’re a slave of Disney or Warner Brothers, they can do whatever they want. So in my latter years of life, I’m in quiet revolt against all this.”
Elsewhere, Burton revealed that, today, he has no remorse over the missed opportunity to helm his own film about the Man of Steel, despite admitting at the time that the scrapped film was a painful loss.
“No, I don’t have regrets,” he told the BFI. “I will say this: when you work that long on a project and it doesn’t happen, it affects you for the rest of your life. Because you get passionate about things, and each thing is an unknown journey, and it wasn’t there yet. But it’s one of those experiences that never leaves you, a little bit.”
Tim Burton was responsible for some of the most beloved superhero movies ever: 1989’s Batmanand Batman Returns. He also came very close to making a Superman movie, Superman Lives, which was supposed to star Nicolas Cage, and fell apart right before shooting was about to begin. All of these projects are referenced in the recent DC film The Flash, including having Michael Keaton playing Batman and a Cage cameo as Superman.
Despite the obvious reverence the film has for Burton’s work, the director says he wasn’t really a fan of any of that. He spoke with BFI and discussed how he feels about major studios today, his history working on Superman and Batman, and many other things going on both personally and in the larger movie industry.
Specifically, when asked about Superman’s cameo in The Flash, Burton said:
No, I don’t have regrets. I will say this: when you work that long on a project and it doesn’t happen, it affects you for the rest of your life. Because you get passionate about things, and each thing is an unknown journey, and it wasn’t there yet. But it’s one of those experiences that never leaves you, a little bi … but also it goes into another AI thing, and this is why I think I’m over it with the studio. They can take what you did, Batman or whatever, and culturally misappropriate it, or whatever you want to call it. Even though you’re a slave of Disney or Warner Brothers, they can do whatever they want. So in my latter years of life, I’m in quiet revolt against all this.
The Flash is currently available for streaming on Max.
The Biggest DC Movie Bombs
These movies may have featured some of the biggest superheroes in history, but they were also big flops.
DC’sBatgirl was an important part of how the old model of DC films before James Gunn was going to work. Like The Flash, it included Micheal Keaton returning as Batman, and it was expected to continue the old DC movie universe.
Unfortunately, the film is never going to see the light of day. Despite being almost completely finished, the higher-ups over at Warner Bros. decided they’d be better off scrapping the whole project than releasing it, as originally intended, on the Max streaming service. This reportedly allowed them to claim $90 million dollars as a tax write-off. The reasons cited were that it was a cost-cutting measure and part of their shift back towards theatrical releases. By the time it was finished, it also sounded like maybe they didn’t have faith that it could make back its budget.
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah recently sat down with Insider to talk about how they’re feeling now that they’ve had a little bit of time to reflect on the decision.
“It’s the biggest disappointment of our careers,” said El Arbi, while Fallah added “There’s still a feeling of unfinished business.”
“We didn’t get the chance to show Batgirl to the world and let the audience judge for themselves,” El Arbi opined. “Because the audience really is our ultimate boss and should be the deciders of if something is good or bad, or if something should be seen or not.”
The pair also noted they watched The Flash — the movie that was supposed to lead into Batgirl — and were “sad … We love director Andy Muschietti and his sister Barbara, who produced the movie. But when we watched it, we felt we could have been part of the whole thing.”
Despite the whole mess, the directors aid they “could never say no to another project” in the DC world if something came up.
The Biggest DC Movie Bombs
These movies may have featured some of the biggest superheroes in history, but they were also big flops.
It’s no secret that Warner Bros’ hand in the Barbie movie provides them with the biggest box office success of the year. It’s already breaking records, pulling in over $300 million in its opening weekend, the biggest for a female director (in Greta Gerwig) ever. And it’s already garnering Oscar buzz. It went head-to-head with previous Warner Bros right-hand-director Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and won decisively .
People were calling Barbenheimer the biggest day for cinema since Christopher Nolan released The Dark Knight and Phyllida Lloyd opened Mamma Mia! on the same day in 2008. However, the magnitude of power both Barbie and Oppenheimer held on cinema-goers this weekend far outpaced that. And yet, you can’t help but notice a few key points Warner Bros is already having as a studio this year.
With the failing world of DC Comics unable to compete with Disney’s Marvel, Warner Bros. faced major controversy by continuing production and promotion of The Flash. After star Ezra Miller was openly accused of grooming, kidnapping, delivering confusing open messages to the Ku Klux Klan, and being charged with disorderly conduct and harassment (to name only a few), Warner Bros. made the curious decision – keep them in the film entirely.
The film (in simpler terms) flopped. Only bringing in $268 million through the box office, The Flash was ill-attended and ill-received. But that wasn’t all the production company faced this year.
Christopher Nolan was Warner Bros. Golden Boy from 2002-2020 until he left and publicly condemned their hybrid release model. In response to the breakup, Warner Bros. put their top-budgeted film (with insane marketing) up against his 3-hour-long biopic that was only meant to be viewed in IMAX theaters. In other words, Nolan had no chance of winning.
And while Barbie is one of the best films I’ve seen in forever, you can’t help but sense that there’s some deep drama underneath its glossy surface.
June not only brought respite from the scorching summer but also bestowed upon us a deluge of surprises in the form of recent Hollywood movies. These films captivated audiences, generating a whirlwind of excitement and becoming viral sensations on social media with each passing day.
Here are some of the Hollywood films that were trending and created a lot of buzz amongst the audience.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya, Oscar Isaac and more
Miles Morales is back as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. The film continues from the events of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, now alone Miles misses Gwen Stacy and when she comes to visit him, he sneakingly travels to another multiverse adventure. In this adventure, he meets Spider-People known as the Spider-Society, led by Miguel O’Hara or Spider-Man 2099, but comes into conflict with them over handling a new threat in the form of the Spot.
The film became popular due to its amazing animation sequences which looked like the comics and also its addition of multiple Spidermen from all possible ways such as the Indian Spider-Man aka Pavitr Prabhakar and Hobie aka Spider-Punk.
Release Date: June 1
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Director: Steven Caple Jr. Cast: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the seventh instalment in the Transformers franchise, carries forward the saga. Acting as both a sequel to Bumblebee and a prequel to the original film, the story unfolds in Brooklyn during the year 1994. The film revolves around Noah Diaz, a former military electronics expert, and Elena Wallace, as they find themselves entangled in a conflict among the Maximals, Terrorcons, and Predacons. Joining forces with the Autobots and Optimus Prime, they unite to protect Earth from impending danger.
Release Date: June 9
The Flash
Director: Andy Muschietti Cast: Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, Michael Keaton.
After numerous setbacks and controversies, including those involving Ezra Miller, The Flash, the highly anticipated entry in the DCEU, was finally released in the theatres. The movie chronicles Barry Allen’s journey through time as he endeavours to prevent his mother’s tragic fate. This daring endeavour inevitably sets off a chain of events, entangling not just one but two iterations of Batman – portrayed by Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck – as well as Supergirl, in a thrilling and chaotic tale.
The film became buzzworthy due to fans eager for a ‘Flash’ film as well as the compelling storytelling, action sequences and amazing visual effects.
Release Date: June 16
Elemental
Director: Peter Sohn Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Catherine O’Hara.
Under the direction of Peter Sohn, Elemental shines a spotlight on the fundamental forces of fire, land, water, and air. Set in the vibrant Element City, the film delves into the unexpected convergence of Ember Lumen, a spirited woman embodying fire, and Wade Ripple, a fellow crafted from water. Ember takes a daring leap outside her comfort zone as she embarks on an exploration of uncharted territories.
The film became a trend due to Pixar finally releasing a new animation film with original storytelling.
Release Date: June 16
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Director: James Mangold Cast: Harrison Ford, John Rhys-Davies, Karen Allen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore, and Mads Mikkelsen.
Directed by James Mangold, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny marks the return of Harrison Ford as the iconic Indiana Jones. In this thrilling instalment, Indiana Jones teams up with his goddaughter, Helena Shaw, as they embark on a crucial quest to recover a legendary dial. Their mission becomes all the more urgent as they race against time to prevent Jurgen Voller, a former Nazi, from acquiring the powerful artefact.
The film became a buzz-worthy topic as it marks the last instalment of the epic movies Indian Jones.
As the summer season shines onto the box office, movie grosses don’t match what they used to be in seasons past.
This June weekend witnessed a rare anomaly: no film surpassed the $20 million milestone, leaving the box office longing for its usual mid-year fireworks, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In a box office triumph that defied expectations, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”, swung back into the spotlight, triumphantly outpacing Pixar’s “Elemental”, securing the weekend’s coveted crown.
Spidey soared to an estimated $19.3 million, propelling it past the $300 million milestone in the domestic box office. As Sunday drew to a close, the wall-crawler’s North American total stood tall at $317.1 million, while on a global scale, its web of success extended to a staggering $560.3 million.
DC and Warner Bros.’ “The Flash” faced a formidable challenge as its second weekend unfolded. With a staggering 72 percent drop, it mustered only $15.3 million, resulting in a domestic total of $87.6 million.
Unlike its counterpart, “Elemental”, “The Flash” encountered poor exit scores, and audiences seem to be overwhelmingly rejecting the film. Industry insiders reluctantly acknowledge that the Ezra Miller-led flick has missed the mark.
“The Flash” also faced an uphill battle overseas, as its second weekend brought in a modest $26.6 million across 76 markets. With a foreign total of $123.3 million, the film’s global haul reached $210.9 million.
As summer sizzles, the box office delivered an unexpected twist with both “The Flash” and “Elemental” falling short of their anticipated blockbuster status. The underperformance of these two tentpoles resulted in a 19 percent dip compared to last year and a staggering 47 percent decline from the booming 2019 market.
“The Flash” managed to surpass the new entry “No Hard Feelings” narrowly, Sony’s comedy starring Jennifer Lawrence.
“No Hard Feelings” debuted with a better-than-expected $15.1 million, signalling a promising start for a wave of raunchy, R-rated comedies gracing the summer landscape.
Internationally, “No Hard Feelings” made an initial splash, collecting $9.5 million across 48 markets, resulting in a worldwide opening of $24.6 million.
“I’m Andy Muschietti, and I’m the director of ‘The Flash.’ O.K., so this is part of the opening of the movie. It’s a scene where Barry Allen is summoned. Barry Allen is played in this movie by the great Ezra Miller. He gets a call from Alfred to come to Gotham, because he needs to assist Batman.” “Alfred. You hear that? That’s my stomach.” “And he’s arriving late to work. And ironically, he’s being the fastest man alive, he arrives late everywhere. This is something that all the fans know very well. So in the original script, there was a scene with a volcano. I thought that we needed something a little stronger to start with. So I came up with this scene where a bunch of babies are thrown into the void. And Flash has to do something about it. What I wanted is to put our superhero to a test. I wanted to put his superpowers to the test, and basically explaining that even if you are the fastest man alive, you can have trouble saving different people at the same time. So what happens is basically, he has to save nine babies that are not only falling. But also because he didn’t have breakfast, his calories are going down. So everything starts to speed up. That’s the other narrative gimmick that we’re having, that we’re basically seeing the events from his perspective. And when he’s in full energy, everything seems to be frozen in time. But when his calories go down, meaning that he doesn’t have fuel enough to be at the top of his capacities, everything starts to get faster. And this is what he does.” [BABY CRYING] “We think he’s going to go for the baby.” [BABY WAILING] “And instead, he goes and destroys a vending machine with the objective of getting enough calories to get his powers back.” [INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING] “But it definitely sets up a superhero that is vulnerable, that even though he has superpowers, he’s not invincible. And he has to basically recur to his intelligence and his human criteria and judgment, not only on his superpowers.” [WHOOSHING] [BANGING] “I really wanted Ezra to play all the shots where they are portraying Flash in the scene. And they were very eager to do the stunts as well. So basically every time that you see Ezra on the scene, it’s a practical moment. Obviously when you’re in post-production, you have to make some decisions that basically favor a more spectacular version of the shot, in which you have to go full CG. But in most scenes that you see Barry, it’s Ezra performing it with, of course, a set extension that is digital. So Ezra was hanging on wires during a lot of days to basically bring this scene to life, with that nurse hanging on wires. And no baby was harmed in the production of this scene, and voila.” [BABIES CRYING] [WOMAN SCREAMING]
The following post contains SPOILERS for the ending of The Flash, along with a big cameo from a certain man of steel.
For those who don’t know, Kevin Smith is a bit of a comic book nerd. So much so that he was tapped to write the screenplay for a Superman movie in the mid ’90s. The only issue was a producer named Jon Peters. Peters had some… interesting ideas about how a Superman movie should pan out.
He initially wanted Sean Penn to play the Man of Steel. Okay, that’s reasonable enough. But he also wanted the movie to end with this Superman fighting a giant spider. Tim Burton was brought onboard to direct the project, which became known as Superman Lives. and Smith was supposed to get his wish. Burton cast Nicolas Cage as Superman. The only problem was that the budget was around $200 million at this point. The studio eventually decided to scrap the whole project. Superman Lives never saw the light of day.
That is until, the end of 2023’s The Flash. That whole giant spider climax? It happens at the end of the movie when Ezra Miller’s Flash witnesses the collapse of the multiverse. Complete with Nicolas Cage as Superman. Kevin Smith recently sat down with Rolling Stone to nerd out about how cool it was — and to reveal that while he fought with Peters about the giant spider idea, he now realized it might have actually made for a cool ending to the movie.
As Smith put it:
I got to go to the premiere the other day, and then I watched it again last night here at the movie theater I own, SModcastle Cinemas. I’m watching it again Friday and Saturday at the movie theater with audiences. It’s mind-melting. One of the first things I thought when I saw it at the premiere is, ‘Goddammit, it would have worked.’ As much as I used to make fun of Jon Peters, that looked badass. He wasn’t wrong. Like, it totally could have panned out.
The Flash is playing now in theaters everwhere.
Every DCEU Movie Ranked From Worst to Best
From Man of Steel to The Flash, we ranked every movie in the DC Extended Universe.
Michael Shannon’s latest comments have caused a disturbance in the Force.
While the classically trained actor starred in the 2013 “Superman” reboot “Man of Steel” and reprised his role of General Zod in “The Flash,” Shannon told Empire magazine he turned down the “Star Wars” franchise in 2016 because he doesn’t find “giant movies … stimulating.”
“I don’t ever want to get stuck in a franchise,” he told the outlet, per Deadline. “I don’t find them interesting and I don’t want to perpetuate them. If I’m making something, I want there to be some kind of purpose to it — I don’t want to make mindless entertainment.”
“The world doesn’t need more mindless entertainment. We’re inundated with it.”
Shannon didn’t name the “Star Wars” movie in question, but the timeline suggests he may have been offered a part in “The Last Jedi.” While appearing in it might have made him a target of online backlash, his comments to Empire last week have arguably done just the same.
“He cashed that check for The Flash tho. I tell you that much right now,” tweeted one person about Shannon’s “mindless entertainment” barometer, while another tweeted: “Says the guy who just starred in the most mindless movie of all time.”
Michael Shannon starred in the DC Comics movies “Man of Steel,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “The Flash.”
“It’s basically looking at a civilization that destroyed their own planet and think the solution is to go off and destroy another,” Shannon told Empire magazine. “When you hear that hypothetically, if we destroy Earth, we might go live on Mars — it’s the same thing.”
Shannon said a huge motivator to join “Man of Steel” was “it was a one-and-done” job and didn’t lock him into a multiyear franchise. While he claimed to “like the story that ‘The Flash’ is telling,” he notably also explained he “wasn’t there for a long amount of time.”
“I was just there a couple of weeks — so it didn’t break my back to do it,” he told Empire.
While Shannon’s explanation for starring in one comic book movie and briefly reprising that role appears to make personal sense, him joining the DC Extended Universe — and clowning a galaxy far, far away — has many fans on social media turning to the dark side.
Andy Muschietti, director of “The Flash”, is returning to the DC Universe.
Varietyis reporting that Muschietti’s next project will be a big one, the upcoming Batman reboot “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”.
While early reviews for “The Flash” have been mixed, box office projections are predicting a $70 million opening weekend domestically, while international ticket sales are expected to be somewhere between $155-$165 million.
According to Variety, “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” is based on Grant Morrison’s DC comic book series, in which Bruce Wayne’s biological son Damian fights crime alongside his dad’s Batman as the new Robin.
Muschietti’s sister and creative partner Barbara Muschietti is onboard as producer.
“We saw ‘The Flash’ even before taking the reins at DC Studios, and knew we were in the hands of not only a visionary director but a massive DC fan,” DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran told Variety of Muschietti. “It’s a magnificent film — funny, emotional, thrilling — and Andy’s affinity and passion for these characters and this world just resonates through every frame. So, when it came time to find a director for ‘The Brave and the Bold’, there was really only one choice. Luckily, Andy said yes. Barbara signed on to produce with us and we were on our way. They’re an extraordinary team, and we couldn’t have better or more inspiring partners as we embark on this thrilling new adventure in the DCU.”
At the first public screening of The Flash, which stars Ezra Miller as DC’s speedster hero, filmmaker Andy Muschietti addressed the chaotic behavior and mental breakdown that hit the actor after filming was completed. Miller has been arrested numerous times for disorderly conduct, assault and a break-in, and engaged in other chaotic, disruptive and unsettling behaviors over the past year and a half.
In August, the actor—who identifies as non-binary and prefers they/them pronouns—released an apology “to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior” and said they were “suffering complex mental health issues.” Since then, the 30-year-old Perks of Being a Wallflower and Justice League actor has remained largely out of sight as the legal issues played out, issuing as a guilty plea to trespassing that ended the break-in charges.
Muschietti, the director of the It movies, spoke out publicly about Miller’s conduct and condition at an early screening of the June 16 movie on the Warner Bros. studio lot. “Ezra is well now. We’re all hoping that they get better,” said Muschietti. (During his remarks, the filmmaker, who is Argentinian and speaks English as a second language, apologized for occasionally using the “he” pronoun for the actor. “It’s not that I don’t want to, I just get mixed up. I spent an entire year with them, and still to this day…” He shrugged. “It’s my fault.”)
“[They’re] taking the steps to recovery, [they’re] dealing with mental health issues, but [they’re] well. We talked to them not too long ago, and [they’re] very committed to get better,” Muschietti said.
The filmmaker’s sister and producing partner, Barbara Muschietti, also weighed in to praise the actor’s work in the film. The Flash stars Miller as two versions of the high-speed hero Barry Allen, brought together by the character’s ability to puncture through time and into parallel universes. Miller appears in some capacity in nearly every scene in the film. “I have to say, during our shoot, during principal photography, their commitment to the role was something like we’ve never seen, and the discipline, the work, the willingness, physical, mental, and just wanting to go beyond the pale,” Barbara said. “It was just amazing.”
“Ezra is an extraordinary actor,” Andy added. “[They] was probably one of my… Not probably, [they’re] one of my best experiences working with an actor—ever. [They’re] brilliant. [Their] contributions are constant, and also, [they] likes to play and do more takes than I do, which is a lot. So, take 24, I’m like, ‘I think we’re done.’ They say, “Can we do one more?’ ‘Yeah, of course.’”
The primary version of The Flash that Ezra Miller plays is the character who was introduced in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and appeared as a supporting character in the two alternate versions of the Justice League film. The character has also turned up for a brief role in the TV version of The Flash that stars Grant Gustin as the hero. (In multiple universe storytelling, these kinds of crossovers happen.)
Throughout the interview, Affleck colorfully sounded off on various topics, including his “world-class Boston finesse” for parallel parking, his “red velvet rope celebrity Wordle group,” why he thinks of golf as the sports version of meth, and how he actually “had a good time at the Grammys,” thank you very much.
But he became particularly impassioned when speaking about taking on the role of Batman, saying that participating in DC Comics films “became somewhat repetitive to me and less interesting” to him across the several movies in which he appeared. “And by the way, I like a lot of the stuff we did, especially the first one [Batman v Superman],” Affleck said.
Perhaps not surprisingly, it was 2017’s infamously difficult Justice League that soured him on the experience. “You could teach a seminar on all the reasons why this is how not to do it. Ranging from production to bad decisions to horrible personal tragedy, and just ending with the most monstrous taste in my mouth,” Affleck said of the production, which brought in Joss Whedon to direct after original director Zack Snyder’s daughter died by suicide in 2017.
The Oscar winner, who has previously shared his misgivings about playing the Caped Crusader, subsequently bowed out of directing his own Batman film. “[Justice League] made me go, ‘I’m out. I never want to do any of this again. I’m not suited,’” Affleck said. “That was the worst experience I’ve ever seen in a business which is full of some shitty experiences. It broke my heart.”
The whole thing was so punishing, Affleck explained, that he “started to drink too much,” adding, “I was back at the hotel in London, it was either that or jump out the window. And I just thought, This isn’t the life I want. My kids aren’t here. I’m miserable. You want to go to work and find something interesting to hang on to, rather than just wearing a rubber suit, and most of it you’re just standing against the computer screen going, ‘If this nuclear waste gets loose, we’ll…’ That’s fine. I don’t condescend to that or put it down, but I got to a point where I found it creatively not satisfying.”
Affleck did, however, suit up once more to play the character in The Flash, which stars Ezra Miller and hits theaters in June. “I did finally figure out how to play that character [Batman], and I nailed it in The Flash,” Affleck said. “For the five minutes I’m there, it’s really great.” But don’t bet on him to save the day on any future projects. “I would not direct something for the [James] Gunn DC. Absolutely not,” the actor said when asked by The Hollywood Reporter. “I have nothing against James Gunn. Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that.”
After months of uncertainty, actor Ezra Miller is still at the helm for DC Comic’s upcoming film, The Flash.
In a new trailer released during the Super Bowl on Sunday, Miller, who uses they/them pronouns, reprises their role as the ultra-speedy superhero the Flash.
Miller, 30, previously portrayed the Flash, also known as Barry Allen, in 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017’s Justice League.
According to a press release for the film, The Flash sees Barry Allen use his superpowers to travel back in time in an attempt to change the past and save his mother.
“But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation,” the press release reads.
In the trailer, the Flash meets his alternate dimension doppelgänger as well as both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as Batman.
Keaton played the caped crusader in Tim Burton’s 1989 film Batman. Affleck put his own spin on the gravelly voiced superhero first in the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, then again later that year for a brief cameo in Suicide Squad. In 2017, Affleck also played Batman in the ensemble film Justice League, alongside Miller.
Last year, there was ample speculation over the future of Miller’s involvement with DC and Warner Bros. A string of arrests and erratic behaviour from Miller, including allegations of assault, grooming and burglary, left studio execs reportedly concerned.
Miller publicly apologized in August. In a statement to Variety, they said a period of “intense crisis” prompted their recent actions and said they’re now seeking mental health treatment.
“Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment,” Miller explained. “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behaviour. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.”
In January, Miller agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of trespassing after they were accused of burglarizing a Vermont home and stealing several bottles of alcohol last year.
Also last month, DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran said Miller is “completely committed to their recovery.”
“We are fully supportive of that journey they are on right now,” Safran said, adding the studio would discuss Miller’s future “when the time is right.”
“But right now, they are completely focused on their recovery. And in our conversation with them, in the last couple of months, it feels like they are making enormous progress,” he said.
TheFlash will be released in theatres on June 16, 2023.
Fans of the DC Universe can expect to see “worlds collide” in long-awaited feature “The Flash”.
On Friday, Feb. 10, a new trailer for the upcoming movie was unveiled, offering fans their first look at Ezra Miller as the speedy superhero in his first solo big-screen outing.
Production on “The Flash”, which wrapped in October 2021, was reportedly troubled, plagued with continual script rewrites and, more recently, the headline-making bizarre behaviour of Miller.
Meanwhile, the arrival of the poster is preceding a new trailer for the film, which will debut during Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“The Flash” will see feature Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck reprising their respective roles as Batman, while Sophie Calle will make her debut as Supergirl.
Other stars include Iris West, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Antje Traue as Faora-Ul, Ron Livingston as Henry Allen and Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen.
While plot details are being kept under wraps, it’s been reported that “The Flash” will see the Scarlet Speedster visiting various alternate realities within the multiverse.
According to director Andrés Muschietti, multiverse introduced in “The Flash” will be the foundation for future DC movies.
“This movie is a bit of a hinge in the sense that it presents a story that implies a unified universe where all the cinematic iterations that we’ve seen before are valid,” Muschietti told Vanity Fair. “It’s inclusive in the sense that it is saying all that you’ve seen exists, and everything that you will see exists, in the same unified multiverse.”
A sequel to “The Flash” is reportedly in the works should the film be successful enough to warrant one.
However, it remains to be seen whether Miller will return for a sequel, given reports that Warner Bros. Discovery has no plans to work with the actor after a string of bizarre incidents that resulted in criminal charges of burglary and assault, restraining orders, accusations of “grooming” young children; Miller subsequently blamed his behaviour on “complex mental health issues.”
“The Flash” is scheduled to arrive in theatres on June 16.
We’ve been hearing a lot about the DCEU lately—especially given Warner Bros. merging with Discovery—and several projects have either been canceled or had their fate appear up in the air. But one film, in particular, has seemed uncertain for quite some time now—and the history behind it (and its star) has left many confused as to why it continued to move full speed ahead. Ezra Miller has been the subject of a disturbing and (seemingly continuous) downward spiral that has left both fans and spectators alike in shock and disgust. But just when did these controversies start and what does this mean for the actor’s upcoming DCEU standalone film The Flash? Should it be canned?
Trigger warning: This story will contain mentions of abduction, abuse, and grooming.
Miller’s Background
(Warner Bros.)
Born in 1992 to a well-known publisher and a dancer, Ezra Miller came from a privileged background and first got their glimpse into the world of acting while starring in the Robert Wilson and Philip Glass opera White Raven. They would, later on, star in Afterschool, which premiered at Cannes, playing a high school loner who unexpectedly witnesses a death. Following the film’s release, Miller dropped out of school. In a 2012 interview, they spoke of their high school experience as an era where they often burnt and broke things. Miller’s big break would come in 2011—with the release of We Need to Talk About Kevin. In the movie, Miller plays the titular Kevin who goes on a murderous rampage on school grounds using a crossbow, which, by the way, Miller has kept (an odd keepsake considering its role in the film).
When 2012 rolled around, Miller played fan favorite Patrick in the adaptation of (the highly-popular YA novel) The Perks of Being a Wallflower, alongside Emma Watson and Logan Lerman. During filming for the movie, Miller had one of their first documented run-ins with the law, after being pulled over in Pittsburgh because of a broken brake light. Police found 20 grams of marijuana on them, but the charge for drug possession was dropped. However, the judge did give the actor two citations of disorderly conduct. In 2015/16 Miller’s star rose, with roles in the Stanford Prison Experiment and the Fantastic Beasts franchise. By 2016, they would finally make their first appearance as the Flash in Batman v. Superman. However, there was some other odd, though seemingly harmless, behavior they exhibited during this time period—including singing a weird rendition of Rihanna’s ‘Work’ and giving an interview in gibberish while dressed as Toadette from Mario Kart. However, as time progressed, this erratic behavior turned increasingly violent.
The Present Controversies
In February of 2020, early reports from Business Insiderdiscussed what appeared to be a cult-like commune in Iceland—led by Miller. While there, Miller displayed multiple instances of violence in bars, including putting a woman in a chokehold, in a video that went viral, where he was also accused of screaming at her and spitting in her face. Fast forward to January of this year, and Miller would film a video of themself (on their since-deleted Instagram) directed at the Ku Klux Clan, saying:
“This is Ezra Miller—a.k.a. the Bengal Ghouls, the Mad Goose Wizard—and, um, this is a message for the Beulaville chapter of the North Carolina Ku Klux Klan. Hello. First of all, how are you all doing? Um, it’s me. Look, if y’all want to die, I suggest just killing yourselves with your own guns, okay? Otherwise, keep doing exactly what you’re doing right now—and you know what I am talking about—and then, you know, we’ll do it for you if that’s what you want,” the actor says in the clip.
Two months later on March 27th, ‘The Flash Enters the Speed Force’ from the Snyder Cut won the all-new (and questionable) Oscars Fan Favorite Moment on the same day Miller was arrested in Hawaii, following another altercation in a bar. Apparently, the Barry Allen actor had issues with how the patrons sang Lady Gaga’s ‘Shallow.’ I wish I were making this up. But I’m not.
Anyway, Miller was bailed out by the couple they were living with in Hawaii. However, two days later, the same couple filed a restraining order against them, after the actor allegedly stole a passport and wallet from the pair. In April, we are still in Hawaii by the way, the actor would again be taken into custody after throwing a chair at a woman. A chair. All these, so far, are the least of what Miller has done. It only gets worse from here.
In June, Miller would again trend after the parents of a teenage activist accused the actor of grooming their child. In these TMZ-obtained documents, it is narrated that Miller and the teen met at a protest when they were 12 and Miller was 23, and the actor allegedly flew the latter to London to visit them on the set of Fantastic Beasts. (The teen was only 14 at the time, while Miller was 25.) Their parents also allege Miller was giving their underage child alcohol and drugs. The, now adult, teen has since rebutted their parents’ claims that Miller has been intimidating them and using force to keep them by their side—in a statement on Instagram. That said, a 25-year-old bringing a 14-year-old child to stay with them in another country is problematic and inappropriate at best.
At around this timeframe, Miller would post memes on their own Instagram poking fun at how the police cannot find them. By June 16, The Daily Beastwould publish a harrowing report detailing yet another alleged victim of Miller’s. This time, a 12-year-old child. According to the victim and witnesses, Miller made uncomfortable comments and physical gestures toward the child, and then, while playing a board game with the group, Miller exploded in anger, and when questioned (his trigger was a claim that a boardgame was cultural appropriation), showed a weapon on their person and made a threatening statement. A judge granted the family a temporary harassment prevention order following this and further incidents.
During the same month, another investigation (this time from Rolling Stone) would reveal that Miller has a farm in Vermont where they house three young children and their mother alongside unattended guns and marijuana plants. Toward the latter end of June (yes, we are still in this month for this story), an exclusive report from Variety recounted yet another experience of a victim, this time from a woman who alleged that Miller both harassed and insulted her.
“I asked them to leave about 20 times, maybe more. They started insulting me. I’m a ‘transphobic piece of shit.’ I’m a ‘Nazi.’ It became so, so stressful for me. They were going around my house, looking at everything, touching everything, spreading tobacco leaves on the floor. It felt disgusting and very intrusive,” the woman, simply identified as Nadia in the report, recalled.
Miller’s latest run-in with the law came with reports of them being arrested in Vermont for felony burglary. They had allegedly stolen several bottles of alcohol.
What happens to The Flash?
(Warner Bros)
The question on everyone’s mind right now is, well, what happens with The Flash? Given the recent announcement canceling Batgirl(also known as my personal villain origin story), should we expect the same treatment for Miller’s rendition of the famous speedster? Surprisingly, the answer is both yes and no.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, executives over at the Warners’ lot are exploring three options:
First, since Miller has recently been spotted with their mother and seems to be inclined to receive professional help, the studios are reportedly thinking of having the actor give an interview explaining their behavior this past…year? This tell-all would then be supposedly followed up with limited press for the film, which would still open in theaters. In a statement to Variety, Miller seemed to be starting an apology path, saying:
“Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment,” Miller says. “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.”
The second option would also mean the film would still be released. BUT without Miller doing any press. And the role would be recast for future Flash appearances (Grant Gustin comes to mind. Anybody?).
The third, and allegedly final, option is what most people are expecting: scrapping it. And while, given the severity of the accusations against Miller, that certainly would seem appropriate on one hand, on the other, this option would hurt everyone else who worked on the 200-million dollar film, too (recasting/refilming scenes would be nearly impossible, as Miller is in every scene).
The Numbers Look Bad for Miller
A recent survey conducted by A Morning Consult revealed that more than two among five adults in the United States would rather see the film canceled in its entirety. Only a third of its respondents answered that they would prefer for the movie to be postponed and have its main lead recast, while 14% answered that the studios should just release it as it is.
Interestingly, a glaring 70% agreed with fully supporting a studio in having a problematic actor/actress removed from doing press for the film, while over 61% said they would support having a troublesome star’s name removed from credits. Coincidentally, this is exactly what happened with Miller’s latest film Dalíland where production icily decided to cut their name in the cast list for the official TIFF announcement.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the film’s director Mary Harron went on record about her experience filming with Miller, whom she apparently already had in mind to play a young Salvador Dalí over a decade ago when she first thought of developing Dalíland.
“It might have been different, especially if we were shooting, if there had been bad behavior during that. But this all happened after the film was not only filmed, but edited and mixed and done. I also felt like everybody shot all those things in good faith. Nothing bad happened during our filming, and the film is the film.” She further adds, “I’m not condoning anything they’ve done wrong. I think it doesn’t matter how talented someone is, if they’ve done anything wrong, they have to face it. I also think that clearly this is not just a young star acting out. This is much more serious. This seems like something that needs a serious intervention, which I hope has happened.”
Not Guilty Plea
Miller pleaded not guilty to the previously mentioned burglary charges in a Vermont court. The charges came after Miller was accused of breaking into an occupied home in Stamford, Vermont. Upon investigation, it was discovered that several bottles of alcohol were missing and appeared to have been taken. They appeared with their lawyer via a virtual proceeding in a Bennington Superior Court and conceded to an agreement where they would no longer contact the property owners or make any to return to the said residence.
“Ezra Miller this morning pled not guilty to one count of burglary and one count of petit larceny in Vermont Superior Court and accepted the court-imposed conditions of not contacting or entering the home of the inhabitants,” The Flash star’s lawyer Lisa B. Shelkrot said in a statement, “Ezra would like to acknowledge the love and support they have received from their family and friends, who continue to be a vital presence in their ongoing mental health.”
As previously reported, Miller has since taken accountability for his actions and issued an apology, citing complex mental health issues and agreeing to seek treatment. They have received support from fans and former colleagues like director Mary Harron, while their spokesperson has insisted that Miller is taking their therapy very seriously.
In a recent September 2022 interview with Vanity Fair Miller’s former fiancée Erin had this to say: “The Ezra I knew wasn’t violent or physically abusive toward anyone. To think back is painful because we had a deep love and he was good to me. For years he convinced me and all our friends that I was abusive…. But looking back, I would be calling out his disrespect and he wouldn’t take responsibility and just call me abusive because of my reaction. I could have handled it better. I didn’t know the term gaslight back then. I was emotionally fucked up for years.”
According to Erin, she and Miller went their separate ways after the latter was given advice by a spiritual counselor that she was a parasite. When asked about her current feelings for Miller, she shared that it’s a little more complicated: “I can make excuses for him all day, but I don’t want to anymore. The illusions of grandeur need to be called out. I will love Ezra always, and I don’t want him to continue down this dark road.”
The whole production cycle of DC‘sThe Flash has been complicated and shrouded in mystery. Luckily, Saoirse-Monica Jackson has shed just a little bit of light. We still don’t know exactly who she is yet, but we do have a few hints as to her character’s temperament. Apparently, Warner Bros. is still trying to keep as much of this project under wraps as possible.
“I’m so scared of Warner Bros. I’m just so delighted that I got the part that I’m so scared to even speak about it in case I get fired. So I can’t tell you anything at the moment, but I’m really delighted about playing her. She’s a really fun, interesting character and a very different character from things I’ve played in the past. I’ve worked with some amazing people and I just loved the experience.”
It’s not much to go on, but knowing what we already know about the movie, there are a few options. First of all, it could be any character mentioned in the DCEU chronology so far. Secondly, she could be anyone from the Tim BurtonBatman universe, since we know Michael Keaton‘s Batman is going to be a pretty big part of the movie. She could be Catwoman, Poison Ivy, or really a ton of other people from Batman’s rogues’ gallery.
It could also be characters from the universe of Barry Allen himself, leading some people to speculate that she could be portraying The Golden Glider. She’s a supervillain, who actually already showed up in seasons one and two of The CW‘sThe Flash. The Golden Glider is an Olympic-level figure skater, who has skates that allow her to travel quickly on any surface, including in mid-air. She also employs an arsenal of deadly gadgets.
Only time will tell who Jackson ends up portraying, and since she wasn’t in any of the trailers, it’s likely that we’ll just have to wait until the movie’s release. After a good few delays, it seems that the final release date has landed on June 23, 2023.
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