After first appearing in a cameo role way back in 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” Ezra Miller is suited up as the Scarlet Speedster once again — this time for their own solo The Flash movie.
The new trailer shows Miller’s Barry Allen crashing into the multiverse and running into another version of himself and not one, but two, Batmen — played by Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton. There’s also a return of Michael Shannon’s General Zod from “Man of Steel” and the debut of Sasha Calle’s Supergirl.
Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. 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, and there are no Superheroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?
As announced by Gunn, The Flash will be part of the “Elseworlds” plan for the unified DCU going forward, meaning it’s not technically part of the cohesive storyline that Gunn and Safran are mapping out but could have ramifications and crossover potential in the future.
Overall, the first trailer for The Flash looks specular and has a potential to be as good as insider’s and James Gunn claimed it is.
Right now, it seems like the pair will be battling the threat of Zod, and Faora-Ul, but there is also the belief the film’s real villain will be the Dark Flash. The reason they find themselves in this brave new world is down to the fact that Barry altered time to save his mother, and now he wants to save that timeline because it’s one in which his mother is alive.
Directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Ezra Miller, The Flash is inspired by the landmark comic “Flashpoint” comic and will see The Flash travel across various multiverses, encountering other versions of himself as well as a version of Supergirl from an alternate timeline.
To everyone’s delight, Michael Keaton is just as exciting as one hopes. Keaton first played Batman/Bruce Wayne in Tim Burton’s 1989 blockbuster of the same name, a critical and financial success that changed how superhero films were viewed — and paved the way for the genre’s future box office domination.
Keaton last played Batman in 1992’s “Batman Returns,” but quit the role during development of a third film after Burton was pushed out as director and replaced with Joel Schumacher, who took the series in a campier direction with 1995’s “Batman Forever” and the 1997 follow up we don’t talk about anymore… “Batman & Robin.” But “The Flash” will disregard the latter two entries entirely and explore what Keaton’s version of Batman has been up to since we last saw him.
Unfortuately, Henry Cavill’s Superman was recently removed from the ending of the film as Cavill will no longer play the Man of Steel.
The Flash is set for release on June 16, 2023.
The cast also sees the return of Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Antje Traue and Maribel Verdú. The script was written by Christina Hodson and produced by Michael Disco and Barbara Muschietti.
