According to The Flash editor Paul Machliss, the film’s delay is due in part to its use of new technology. The upcoming DC film, directed by Andy Muschietti, will be Ezra Miller’s first standalone film as the Scarlet Speedster. The project had been in development limbo for a long time and had a couple of production setbacks before moving forward with principal photography. But The Flash’s problems didn’t end there; it remained mired in controversy, owing primarily to Miller’s public scandals. Despite this, Warner Bros. has stuck with the actor, opting to keep them in the role despite repeated requests for Barry Allen to be recast.
The Flash was supposed to premiere in November 2022, but Warner Bros. pushed it to June 23, 2023, along with several other schedule changes. In a new interview with IBC, Machliss sheds light on this delay. According to him, the use of groundbreaking technology was one of the reasons why The Flash film was delayed. Read the rest of his comment below:
“Nothing. No, it’s gonna be exciting. I mean, Warners has charged us with making the best film we possibly can. What I can say is that we’re gonna be utilizing… We’re the first film to be utilizing some very, very new technology in terms of getting multiple versions of the same actor on the screen, rather than using either locked off cameras or even the motion controls we used in [Last Night in Soho]. There’s been a development with some wonderful technology, which I’d love to be able to talk about now, but this time next year once the film’s out, we can go into total, scrupulous detail. But that is very, very exciting and I’m very pleased to say that we’re the first, certainly on a film of this scale to utilize it. Probably why it’s taken so long to finish actually. But it’s worth the wait, because it looks fantastic.”
What The New Technology In The Flash Means For The Film
In the interview, Machiss does not go into detail about the new technology he is referring to, but he does mention it has something to do with “getting various versions of the same actor on the screen.” For context, in The Flash film, Barry Allen will travel through the multiverse, meeting various iterations of characters. Some appear distinct, such as Ben Affleck & Michael Keaton’s Batmen, while others would seem very similar, indicating that they are played by the same actor. As revealed in the first official The Flash trailer, this is the case for the titular character.
It’s difficult to say how much of an impact this new technology will have on the film at this point. Machiss promises to talk more about it once The Flash is released, presumably because it was mostly used in spoiler-heavy scenes. If this new technology works well, it could be a huge help not only for future DCU projects, but also for MCU endeavors. Both franchises are currently dealing with the multiverse, which includes the addition of variants. Marvel actors can play multiple variants of their characters, as seen in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Loki, and this will become more common as the MCU’s Multiverse Saga progresses.
In the last few months, the DC Universe has seen many changes, including the appointment of new co-CEOs James Gunn & Peter Safran. Because The Flash was developed & filmed before the pair’s tenure, their influence on Muschietti’s film would be minimal. But, as the ones in charge of shaping the DCU in the future, it’s up to them to decide what happens to Miller’s Scarlet Speedster after their first solo outing.
Source: IBC